Israeli Occupation Aggression Against the Palestinian People: Illegal Settlers' Attacks, Army Raids, Invasions, Kidnappings, on July 30, 2008

Ahrar Center: “Four detainees and their wives are imprisoned by Israel”

Wednesday July 30, 2008 22:12 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

The Ahrar Center for Detainees’ Studies slammed the ongoing Israeli imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians and stated that there are four detainees and their wives who are imprisoned by the occupation and separated from each other and from their families.

Ahrar Center

The center stated that the four female detainees that are not allowed to communicate with their detained husbands; they are not granted visitations and not even allowed to phone each other.

Fuad Al-Khuffash, head of the Ahrar Center, stated that the army recently kidnapped Kholoud Al-Masry, and her husband Ammar. Khould is an elected member of Nablus City Council.

Al-Khuffash added the three other female detainees who are imprisoned by Israel along with their husbands are Nour Al-Hashlamoan and her husband Mohammad, Itaf Olayan and her husband Waleed Al-Hodaly, in addition to Khawla Zaitawi and her husband Jasser Abu Omar.

There are approximately 10000 detainees impassioned by Israel, including more than 85 female detainees and 350 children.

Israeli occupation forces invade and detain family in Al-Khadr home

Date: 30 / 07 / 2008 Time: 14:11
Bethlehem - Ma'an -

Israeli occupation forces stormed a three-storey house in the old village of Al-Khadr south of Bethlehem on Wednesday morning. Soldiers destroyed the front door of the house before searching it

Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that the three families living in this house, owned by sons of Mohammad Sa'adah Al-Mahsiri, were detained together in one room, and beaten by Israeli soldiers.

Israeli occupation forces were still in the home at the time of writing. Eyewitnesses said that a Palestinian ambulance car arrived there and transferred someone from the home. It is believed to have been one of the workers who arrived with a truckload of furniture from Jenin for the family while they were detained in the house. Sources say that the worker, who was transferring furniture into the home fainted after being attacked by soldiers.

Israeli occupation forces kidnap two in Qabatia raid

Date: 30 / 07 / 2008 Time: 11:35
Jenin - Ma'an -

Israeli occupation forces arrested two people in Qabatia in the south of Jenin city early on Wednesday morning as part of a wider operation in the western districts of Jenin apparently to search for resistance fighters.

Security sources said that Israeli occupation forces stormed the town after midnight and searched several houses before detaining Nasser Zakarnah and Mohammed Abu-Zaid, transferring them to an interrogation unit. Zakarnah was released a few hours later, at the time of writing Abu-Zeid remains in custody.

Local sources said that Israeli occupation soldiers damaged property in the houses they raided. One of those houses was owned by Abdul Fattah Khuzaimiyah an fighter with Islamic Jihad movement who has been wanted by the Israeli forces for about two years.

Abdel Fattah's brother, Yousuf, told Ma'an's correspondent, that, "at 3am Israeli occupation soldiers surrounded the two-storey house and threw stones at windows and ordered us to evacuate the building through loudspeakers and detained 8 members of the family."

Israeli occupation forces kidnap Palestinian policeman and brother

Date: 30 / 07 / 2008 Time: 09:31
Nablus – Ma'an –

An undercover Israeli occupation force on Wednesday morning kidnapped a Palestinian policeman and his brother from their home in the northern West Bank village of Zawata, west of Nablus.

According to Khalid Al-Khandaqj, the uncle of the kidnapped men, the undercover forces, arriving in a white minibus, besieging the house at 6 in the morning before a back up of 15 military vehicles arrived and soldiers raided the two-storey house. They arrested 23-year-old Abdul-Majid Al-Khandaqj, a Palestinian police man, and his brother Taymour, aged 19 after searching their home and damaging parts of the interior.

The uncle asserted that the soldiers confiscated Al-Khandaqj's policeman's pistol and ammunition.

Illegal Israeli settlers invade Osh Al-Ghurab Public Park in Beit Sahour

Wednesday July 30, 2008 20:29 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC News

Around 70 illegal Israeli settlers invaded Osh Al-Ghurab park in Beit Sahour Wednesday evening and forced international and local volunteers to stop the painting work that they were doing in the site.

Around 20 Palestinian and International volunteers were painting the place, which is an abandoned military base, when the illegal Israeli settlers car came with four people in. As soon as they saw the painting work, they left. One hour later, the group of settlers came with their backbags, and said that this is an Israeli area that Palestinians are not allowed to be in. They warned that everybody should leave in one minute.

The paintings the volunteers made included peace signs, love signs and a sign for a mock Falafel Kiosk, mock bookstore and a mock burger restaurant.

The volunteers who almost finished their work for the day decided to leave in order not to escalate the situation who were provocative, said Rianna, one of the organizers of the activity.

The settlers, who were mostly teens, started to paint over the painting work, and to kick the painting buckets. The Army arrived at the site but made no move to stop the settler provocation.

“The settlers told me 'do not stay with those people, they are Palestinians they will kill you',” said Andrew, one of the volunteers.

The settlers said they want to stay overnight whereas the soldiers said that they will allow the settlers to stay for one hour only. According to the settlers e-mail communication an event is being prepared on Thursday by the settlers and people from a number of surrounding settlements are coming to the event.

The painting action was organized by a number of organizations in Bethlehem area, including the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People, PAIDIA, Alternative Information Center (AIC) and Decolonizing Architecture in addition to a number of volunteers in Bethlehem area.
Osh Al-Ghurab is the name of a hill located in the eastern side of Beit Sahour near Bethlehem. The site itself was a Jordanian military base taken over by Israel in 1967 who kept it as an Israeli military base.

The Israeli occupation army unilaterally abandoned the place in 2006. The Beit Sahour municipality started to renovate the place and turned it into a public park for the local community in Bethlehem area.

The occupation Israeli army and illegal settlers attack a house in Jerusalem

Wednesday July 30, 2008 14:48 by Rula Shahwan - IMEMC News

Local sources reported that a group of Israeli settlers accompanied by Israeli troops tried to seize a Palestinian land in Silwan village at the north east of Jerusalem city.

Locals reported that Israeli settlers attacked the land and houses and brought mobile homes with them in order to settle there. Clashes followed between locals and illegal Israeli settlers but no injuries were reported.

The head of the Jerusalem Unit at the Palestinian Presidency Office, Ahmed Ruwaidi, spoke at a press conference held by residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in support of the Umm Al-Kurd family which faces home demolition as well. “We are faced with a new policy in Jerusalem, which necessitates support on a national and international level.” This policy, which has been described by some as "Judaization," involves the demolition of Palestinian homes to make room for Jewish settlers.

"The Israeli intention is to expel 500 citizens and 28 families from the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, in addition to expelling 1,500 Maqdesi citizens from 88 houses in the Silwan neighborhood, and there have been decisions to demolish 32 housing units in the ‘Issawiya village. Fifty-five Palestinian families have been threatened with the demolition of their houses in the neighborhood of Al-Ashquariya in Beit Hanina, and there are 250 houses in the Mount of Olives that have also been threatened with demolition," he added.

The Israeli occupation army says that the house was built without the necessary documentation. Since Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967 it has rarely given its Palestinian residents any form of documentation for their land or homes.

The Israeli occupation army invades West Bank cities kidnapping 4 civilians

Wednesday July 30, 2008 11:21 by Rula Shahwan - IMEMC News

The Israeli occupation army invaded several West Bank cities including Nablus, Jenin and Bethlehem kidnapping four civilians on Wednesday.

Local sources reported that the Israeli occupation army invaded Nablus city with a number of military vehicles. Moreover Israeli troops invaded the nearby Zuwata village kidnapping two brothers. In the city of Jenin, Israeli troops invaded the Qabatia and Al-Yamun villages at dawn with a number of military vehicles.

Israeli occupation troops spread out in several neighborhoods searching and ransacking houses of civilians. In addition Israeli troops forced civilians out of their houses and shot gunfire. Locals reported that the troops kidnapped Khaled Abu Zaid, 25, and Muhammad Shaban, 20, taking them to unknown destinations.

Moreover, Israeli occupation troops invaded Al-Khader village south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Israeli troops searched and ransacked the residence of Al-Muheseri. For the duration they confined the family members in one room and forbade them from leaving. The troops also left damages as they broke windows and doors.

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