Israeli Court orders state to demolish Palestinian homes

Thursday September 10, 2009 12:31 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

In response to a petition by an illegal Israeli settlement group, the so-called Israeli occupation government High Court ruled Wednesday that the government of Israel must demolish two Palestinian homes in the villages of al-Sawaya and Yatma.

The Israeli petitioner, a group known as 'Regavim' whose mission is to “preserve the nation's lands”, argued that the Israeli military, which carries out demolition orders, makes a distinction between Israelis and Palestinians in enforcing the orders. No one in the Israeli Court mentioned the fact that the Palestinian Territories are under Israeli military occupation, and are thus subject to a different set of standards and rights than Israeli settlers who are illegally occupying Palestinian land.

The Israeli military carries out hundreds of demolition orders against Palestinians each year, and an average of 1 – 2 demolitions of Israeli settlements each year. But the Israeli group 'Regavim' made the argument that Israeli structures are being unfairly and disproportionately targeted, and that the military should instead enforce demolition orders against Palestinians.

Since Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupying forces have issued extraordinarily few building permits for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. Instead, Israeli troops have facilitated the transfer of hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians into newly-constructed housing developments, known as settlements, constructed on illegally-seized Palestinian land. The Israeli settlers who move onto Palestinian land are allowed to build without any permits, and once they construct a certain amount of infrastructure, the Israeli government is required by its own law to recognize the settlement and construct infrastructure -- roads, electricity, water pipes – to support the settlement's existence and expansion. There are currently over 300 Israeli settlements constructed in this way on Palestinian land in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, who worked as the lawyer for Israeli settlements before becoming a Supreme Court Judge, challenged the government's priorities, saying that they "lack clear and orderly guidelines regarding which cases action is or is not taken on, in order to prove that no distinction is being made between the communities."

The Judge failed to note that because Palestinians are under occupation, and thus a protected population, they should be subject to a different set of standards than Israelis who construct settlements on stolen Palestinian land.

Ten Palestinian citizens wounded by illegal Israeli settlers in Yatta

 [ 10/09/2009 - 03:58 PM ]

AL-KHALIL, (PIC)--

A number of illegal Israeli settlers protected by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) attacked Thursday a number of Palestinian homes located near Susiya settlement, southeast of Yatta town in Al-Khalil, which led to the injury of ten citizens.

Sources in the national committee to resist the settlement reported that the settlers attacked Palestinian shelters in retaliation for the dismantling of their settlement outpost, which consisted of a caravan and a tent, in the area by IOF troops.

Palestinian citizens were injured as they tried to defend themselves and homes, the sources said.

Other settlers from Oranit settlement built on Palestinian lands in Qalqiliya reportedly set fire on Thursday morning to more than 100 olive trees in a land owned by a Palestinian citizen in the village of Azoun Al-Atma.

In Nablus, a number of settlers on Wednesday evening set fire to two Palestinian cars and hurled stones at several homes in the village of Asira, south of the city.

Palestinian local sources in the village of Orif in Nablus reported that dozens of settlers attacked at noon Wednesday Palestinian homes in the village.

They said that the settlers broke into a house under construction owned by a Palestinian citizen called Munir Al-Nouri and destroyed its interior walls.

In another context, the IOF troops on Thursday wounded a Palestinian citizen on a bypass road in the town of Yatta when they opened fire at him in an attempt to prevent him from using this road because it is used by Israeli settlers.

The IOF troops also kidnapped on the same day eight Palestinian citizens during raids on a number of West Bank areas especially in Tulkarem, Al-Khalil and Jericho.

Informed sources in the Palestine polytechnic university in Al-Khalil told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOF troops kidnapped two students a few days after their release from the Palestinian Authority’s jails.

Press sources in the 1948 occupied lands reported Wednesday that the high Israeli court ordered the demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes in the villages of Yetma and Sawya, south of Nablus, at the pretext of unlicensed construction.

The sources noted that this decision was issued by the court in response to a petition filed by a Zionist settlement organization called Regavim that demanded the demolition of all Palestinian homes in the area known as “C”.

Ten Palestinian wounded by settlers near Hebron

Thursday September 10, 2009 12:53 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian medical sources reported Thursday morning that at least ten Palestinians were wounded after a group of fundamental settlers attacked a several Palestinians shortly after the Israeli army evacuated dozens of settlers from a tent outpost.

The settlers targeted homes close to Susia illegal settlement, south of Yatta town, near Hebron. They attacked Palestinians living in tents on their own lands, while the army provided protection to the settlers instead of stopping them.

The ten residents suffered concussions and bruises after being violently struck and beaten by the settlers.

Resident Mohammad Hamadan Bilal stated that the settlers attacked his family and destroyed furniture and a small solar cell. His wife was injured in the attack. 

Other attacked residents were identified that Issa Mohammad Bilal, Fadel Al Hreini, Nasser Al Nawaj’a, Yahia Khaled Al-Nawaja’a, and several other residents.  

The residents are from Khirbit Susia, a small village close to the illegal Susia outpost. The residents faced repeated attacked by the settlers who are trying to force them out in order to expand the illegal settlement outpost. 

Illegal Israeli settlers destroy Palestinian owned farm lands in northern West Bank

Thursday September 10, 2009 18:30 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

A group of Israeli settlers set fire and destroyed on Thursday at dawn farm lands that belongs to farmers from Azzoun Al-Atmah, in northern west Bank.

The villagers said the settlers came from the nearby Orint settlement. They added that the settlers destroyed around 25 acres of farm land.

The lands are located on the Israeli controlled side of the wall and near the illegal Israeli settlement, the villagers added.

The Israeli occupation forces injurie one civilian and kidnaps eight other from the West Bank

Thursday September 10, 2009 18:23 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies

One Palestinian civilian was injured and eight other kidnapped on Thursday during Israeli occupation forces attacks targeting a number of West Bank communities.

Moussa Dawud, 25 years old, was injured near his home in Yatta village, southern West Bank when Israeli troops opened fire at him, local sources reported.

Meanwhile Israeli occupation forces invasions targeted Ramallah city, central West Bank, Tulkarem, in the north as well as Jericho city. Local sources said that the Israeli military searched homes before kidnapping the eight men.

The Israeli military radio announced that those kidnapped were on its wanted list adding that they have been moved to military detention camps for questioning.

In June the Israeli occupation forces said it would stop its invasions into the cities of Ramallah and Qalqilia, as well as Bethlehem and Jericho. However, to date, attacks targeting those cities continue.