Illegal Israeli Settlers Torch Qusra Mosque, Israeli Occupation Forces Palestinian Olive Trees for Construction of Land-Grab Wall

P.A Slams Israeli Escalation, Settler Attacks

Monday September 05, 2011 13:37 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank denounced the Israeli occupation forces' escalation and illegal settlement construction, describing the Israeli violations as an attempt to foil the Palestinian initiative to seek international recognition and full membership at the United Nations this month.

The torched Mosque on Qasra Village Near Nablus - Palestine-Info

Nabil Abu Rudaina, spokesperson of the Palestinian Presidency, stated that Israel is escalating its assaults to pressure the P.A into withdrawing its UN initiative.

Talking to the Palestine News and Info Agency, WAFA, Abu Rodeina slammed the escalation and the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem.

He also denounced the Monday at dawn attack that was carried out by illegal extremist Israeli
settlers who broke into, burnt and desecrated the Al-Nourain mosque, in Qusra village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Abu Rudaina further slammed the expansion of the illegal settlements of Ramat Shlomo and Rakhus Shu’fat settlements, and the construction of the new settlement in place of the demolished Shepherds Hotel, in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian official voiced an appeal to the international community to intervene, and practice pressure on Israel in order to stop its violations to the International Law, and the Fourth Geneva Conventions.

Palestinian Prime Minister in the West Bank, Dr. Salaam Fayyad, strongly denounced the torching of the mosque in Qusra village, and held Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, fully responsible for the ongoing violations.

Fayyad added that this escalation proves that Israel disrespects the international
law, and that the Israeli government is responsible for the violations that are regularity carried out by the settlers against the Palestinians.

The Hamas-led government in Gaza also denounced the torching of the mosque and the escalating attacks.

Salah Bardaweel of Hamas stated that these attacks are part of a systematic Israeli racist policy against the residents, their lands and their holy sites.

He added that Israel still carries the same racist mentality that existed in South Africa during the apartheid regime.

Sheikh Betawi: Jewish settlers' attack on Nablus Mosque act of savages

[ 05/09/2011 - 07:03 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)--

Palestinian lawmaker from Hamas Sheikh Hamed Al-Betawi deplored the arson attack that was waged at dawn Monday by extremist Jewish settlers on Dul Nourain Mosque in Qasra village south of Nablus city.

Betawi, who heads the association of Palestinian scholars, described the attack as an act of barbarism and savagery against the Islamic holy sites in Palestine, and part of earlier systematic attacks on Mosques.

He told the Palestinian information center (PIC) the Jewish settlers torched many mosques before such as the mosques of Laban Asharqiya and Yasuf and stressed that all divine religions prohibit such act of violence against places of worship.

The lawmaker also expressed his belief that such settlers' attacks are encouraged by extremist Jewish clerics and rabbis who incite against Muslims as well as by the protection provided by both the Israeli occupation forces and the Palestinian authority security forces in the context of their security cooperation.

Hamas: Mosque burning a violation of divine law

[ 05/09/2011 - 07:34 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Hamas has condemned the arson of Al-Nourein mosque in Qasra village near Nablus in northern West Bank, calling the burning of mosques a racial crime and violation of divine law.

“We in Hamas strongly condemn the arson attack on Al-Nourein mosque and consider it a blatant violation of divine law and international norms and continuation of the racist and criminal approach of the Zionist entity and its settlers,” reads a statement issued by Hamas’s media bureau.

Hamas also called for unity in the face of the Israeli occupation and appealed to the Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and rights groups to work to help stop Israel’s “racial crimes.”

In a separate statement, Palestinian MP Yunis Al-Astal (Hamas) also condemned the desecration of the mosque, assigning blame to the Palestinian Authority, alongside the Israeli occupation authorities and the Jewish settlers, for abolishing the Palestinian resistance program with the Oslo Accords.

“Armed resistance will make the occupation (Israel) think a thousand and one times before committing any offenses, whether that relates to attacks on the mosques or any person,” Al-Astal said.

Such acts were not even committed in the South Africa during apartheid years, Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil said in an exclusive statement to the PIC, adding that the act reflects the extent of Israel’s extremism and racism.

He said that Israel’s desecration of mosques “appears to be a systematic ideological process by the occupation (Israel), seeking to insult the Islamic religion and the Islamic people and trying to show the religious superiority through such racial acts.”

Army Surrounds Bethlehem Village, Uproots Olive Trees

Monday September 05, 2011 12:57 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

File - Israeli Occupation Soldiers Attacking Villagers In Al-Wallaja

Local sources reported Monday that Israeli occupation soldiers are currently surrounding the Al Wallaja Village, near Bethlehem, and are uprooting dozens of Olive trees in order to construct a section of the illegal Annexation Wall in the area.

The soldiers, heavily deployed in the area, declared the village a “closed military zone”, and are preventing anybody from entering or leaving it.

Recently, the so-called Israeli High Court authorized the Israeli occupation army to resume the construction of the Wall on village lands in Al Walaja under the pretext that “the damage causing by the construction is relatively acceptable comparing to its security benefits”, according to the court.

Adel Al Atrash, deputy head of the Al Walaja Village Council, stated that the army uprooted, so far, more than 50 trees in the area.

Meanwhile the European Union stated that it is concerned about the serious humanitarian implications the Wall is having on the residents of Al Walaja.

On Monday at noon, settlers of the Beitar Illit illegal settlement, south west of Bethlehem, flooded with sewage water Palestinian olive orchards that belong to residents of Nahhalin village, near Bethlehem.

Osama Shakarna, head of the Nahhalin Village Council, stated that the settlers flooded more than 40 Dunams planted with more than 2500 Olive.

The sewage water reached Ein Fares natural spring used by the shepherd as the source of water for their herds.

Settlers Burn A Mosque Near Nablus

Monday September 05, 2011 10:33 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A group of extremist Israeli settlers broke, on Monday at dawn, into a mosque in Qasra village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and torched it after destroying its property and writing anti-Arab slogans on its walls.

File - Mosque Burnt By Settlers Near Ramallah

The Maan News Agency reported that the settler broke into Al Nourein mosque after breaking it windows, and burnt tires inside the mosque. The fire spread in the mosque consuming most of its property.

Ghassan Douglas, in charge of the settlements file at the Palestinian Authority in the northern part of the West Bank, stated that this is not the first attack against mosques in the West Bank, and called on the Quartet Committee (The United States, The European Union, the United Nations and Russia) to intervene and stop the escalating attacks.

In related news, dozens of settlers hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles driving near the Yitzhar settlement, on the Nablus- Huwwara road; damage to several vehicles and a local bus was reported.

The settlers are carrying ongoing attacks against the Palestinians under the so-called “Price Tag”, as they blame the Palestinians for any Israeli evacuation of illegal settlement outposts.

On Monday at dawn, Israeli soldiers demolished three structures at the Migron illegal outpost, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Earlier in June this year, settlers of the Alei Ayin illegal outpost torched a mosque in Al-Mughayyir village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, after burning tires and throwing them in the mosque causing serious damages.

Last year, the settlers burnt several copies of the Quran while desecrating two mosques near Bethlehem and Nablus.

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