Israeli Security Tightened in Jerusalem in Response of Protests Over Demolition of Palestinian Bustan Neighborhood

Israel tightens Jerusalem security fearing protests

Date: 27 / 02 / 2009  Time:  11:42
Jerusalem – Ma'an –

 The Israeli occupation government police imposed tight restrictions on entry to Jerusalem and on worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, fearing protests over the planned demolition of some 90 Palestinian houses in the city.

Men under the age of 45, even those holding Israeli-issued IDs, are barred from prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. No restrictions were imposed on women. Israeli police deployed heavily in the vicinity of the Old City and the Mosque.

The Israeli municipality in control of occupied Jerusalem pressed forward this week with a plan to expel more than 1,500 Palestinians and potentially demolish their homes in the Bustan neighborhood of occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem, just to the south of the Old City.

Residents say they inherited the homes from their parents and grandparents. Most were built prior to 1967, when the West Bank and East Jerusalem came under Israeli occupation, and many were built during the British Mandate period before 1948, when the State of Israel was established.

A top Muslim religious official, Supreme Judge Tayseer Tamimi, called for a “Day of Anger” Friday in protest of the expected demolitions.

PLO declares strike in Gaza in protest of Jerusalem demolitions

Date: 27 / 02 / 2009  Time:  13:15
Gaza – Ma’an –

The Fat'h leadership in the Gaza Strip urged Palestinians to participate in a PLO strike on Saturday protest of reported Israeli plans to demolish more than 90 Palestinian houses in the Bustan neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

In a statement the Fat'h leadership said: “We cooperated with 11 Arab and international organizations to launch a campaign to show solidarity with people in Jerusalem, and to send a message to negotiators in Cairo appealing for their help, after their steadfastness in Gaza, Now they need protection for Jerusalem.”

“We are approaching a new period and we hope that all Palestinian factions will cooperate for the success of the national interest and reconciliation,” the statement added.

The Israeli occupation government designated an area in the Bustan neighborhood a “green area” this week, clearing the way for the potential demolition of the houses and the expulsion of more than 1,500 residents. The Israeli Jerusalem Municipality says a park is planned for the area.

Israel planned expansion of West Bank settlements, documents show

Date: 27 / 02 / 2009  Time:  12:45

Bethlehem – Ma’an –

A key Israeli occupation government agency has been promoting plans over the last two years to build thousands of new houses in illegal West Bank settlements, government documents made public on Friday show.

Documents from the Israeli occupation government Civil Administration, the government organ responsible for nonmilitary affairs in the occupied West Bank, were obtained by the organization B’Tselem through a Freedom of Information request.

The plans, approved by the Environment Subcommittee of the Civil Administration’s planning wing, envision major expansion in settlements in the Gush Eztion bloc, a swath of the West Bank adjacent to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, among other locations in the West Bank.

The plans envision the initial construction of 550 apartments in an area of the Allon Shevut illegal settlement, followed by 4,450 at a later stage. At present this area is inhabited by just 12 families. In the neighboring illegal settlement of Bat Ayin, currently home to 120 families, 2,000 apartments are planned.

The documents show that the illegal settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, a major settlement east of Jerusalem, has also planned 3,500 housing units in the E1 area, a key slice of land that, if confiscated by Israel, would render the West Bank sliced into two.