Further Ethnic Cleansing "According to Law" - 43 Sleepless in Gaza and Jerusalem

Israel issues a mass deportation order in West Bank

Sunday, 11 April 2010 10:35

Israel, April 11, (Pal Telegraph) A new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years.

When the order comes into effect, tens of thousands of Palestinians will automatically become criminal offenders liable to be severely punished.

Given the security authorities' actions over the past decade, the first Palestinians likely to be targeted under the new rules will be those whose ID cards bear home addresses in the Gaza Strip - people born in Gaza and their West Bank-born children - or those born in the West Bank or abroad who for various reasons lost their residency status. Also likely to be targeted are foreign-born spouses of Palestinians.

Until now, Israeli civil courts have occasionally prevented the expulsion of these three groups from the West Bank. The new order, however, puts them under the sole jurisdiction of Israeli military courts.

The new order defines anyone who enters the West Bank illegally as an infiltrator, as well as "a person who is present in the area and does not lawfully hold a permit." The order takes the original 1969 definition of infiltrator to the extreme, as the term originally applied only to those illegally staying in Israel after having passed through countries then classified as enemy states - Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

The order's language is both general and ambiguous, stipulating that the term infiltrator will also be applied to Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, citizens of countries with which Israel has friendly ties (such as the United States) and Israeli citizens, whether Arab or Jewish. All this depends on the judgment of Israel Defense Forces commanders in the field.

The new guidelines are expected to clamp down on protests in the West Bank.

The Hamoked Center for the Defense of the Individual was the first Israeli human rights to issue warnings against the order, signed six months ago by then-commander of IDF forces in Judea and Samaria Area Gadi Shamni.

Two weeks ago, Hamoked director Dalia Kerstein sent GOC Central Command Avi Mizrahi a request to delay the order, given "the dramatic change it causes in relation to the human rights of a tremendous number of people."

According to the provisions, "a person is presumed to be an infiltrator if he is present in the area without a document or permit which attest to his lawful presence in the area without reasonable justification." Such documentation, it says, must be "issued by the commander of IDF forces in the Judea and Samaria area or someone acting on his behalf."

The instructions, however, are unclear over whether the permits referred to are those currently in force, or also refer to new permits that military commanders might issue in the future. The provision are also unclear about the status of bearers of West Bank residency cards, and disregards the existence of the Palestinian Authority and the agreements Israel signed with it and the PLO.

The order stipulates that if a commander discovers that an infiltrator has recently entered a given area, he "may order his deportation before 72 hours elapse from the time he is served the written deportation order, provided the infiltrator is deported to the country or area from whence he infiltrated."

The order also allows for criminal proceedings against suspected infiltrators that could produce sentences of up to seven years. Individuals able to prove that they entered the West Bank legally but without permission to remain there will also be tried, on charges carrying a maximum sentence of three years. (According to current Israeli law, illegal residents typically receive one-year sentences.)

The new provision also allow the IDF commander in the area to require that the infiltrator pay for the cost of his own detention, custody and expulsion, up to a total of NIS 7,500.

Currently, Palestinians need special permits to enter areas near the separation fence, even if their homes are there, and Palestinians have long been barred from the Jordan Valley without special authorization. Until 2009, East Jerusalemites needed permission to enter Area A, territory under full PA control.

The fear that Palestinians with Gaza addresses will be the first to be targeted by this order is based on measures that Israel has taken in recent years to curtail their right to live, work, study or even visit the West Bank. These measures violated the Oslo Accords.

According to a decision by the West Bank commander that was not backed by military legislation, since 2007, Palestinians with Gaza addresses must request a permit to stay in the West Bank. Since 2000, they have been defined as illegal sojourners if they have Gaza addresses, as if they were citizens of a foreign state. Many of them have been deported to Gaza, including those born in the West Bank.

One group expected to be particularly harmed by the new rules are Palestinians who moved to the West Bank under family reunification provisions, which Israel stopped granting for several years.

In 2007, amid a number of Hamoked petitions and as a goodwill gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, tens of thousands of people received Palestinian residency cards. The PA distributed the cards, but Israel had exclusive control over who could receive them. Thousands of Palestinians, however, remained classified as "illegal sojourners," including many who are not citizens of any other country.

The new order is the latest step by the Israeli government in recent years to require permits that limit the freedom of movement and residency previously conferred by Palestinian ID cards. The new regulations are particularly sweeping, allowing for criminal measures and the mass expulsion of people from their homes.

The IDF Spokesman's Office said in response, "The amendments to the order on preventing infiltration, signed by GOC Central Command, were issued as part of a series of manifests, orders and appointments in Judea and Samaria, in Hebrew and Arabic as required, and will be posted in the offices of the Civil Administration and military courts' defense attorneys in Judea and Samaria. The IDF is ready to implement the order, which is not intended to apply to Israelis, but to illegal sojourners in Judea and Samaria."

By: Amira Hass

Source: Haaretz

Website: www.haaretz.com

43 b Sleepless Gaza Jerusalem.divx:

SleeplessinGaza — April 12, 2010 — Day 43 b: Special Edition from Jerusalem & Ramallah: So what is this new Israeli military law about? Learn who can be affected and how from Palestine Radio journalist Mohammad Abed Rabbo who has studied the law and its possible consequences. The law gives the occupation forces illegal powers that people are now reminded of the 1948 catastrophe! Anyone without an Israeli permit to reside in the West Bank is deemed an "infiltrator" and Israel can either imprison them up to 7 years or deport them! The law allows Israel's occupation forces to arrest and deport foreigners including the American and European spouses of Palestinians living in the West Bank or even Israelis who may go to the West Bank to support Palestinians or protest against the Wall for example! In other words, the Palestinian Authority has lost what it gained through Oslo & Madrid in jurisdiction on the areas it controls! Ashira hears that PLO Leader Nabil Shaath is giving the foreign and Arab diplomats a "no media allowed" briefing, so she heads to Ramallah and crashes on it. Meet Father Manuel Musallam, the retired priest who was in charge of Gaza for 14 years. 72-year-old father Manuel is originally from Ramallah but holds a Gaza ID card. He lives with his sister at their family home and fears he will be deported back to Gaza and be separated from his sister and home! What is the South African top diplomat reminded of by the new law? Nabil Shaath describes the military law as a major act of terror and ethnic cleansing. So what will he do if the Israelis deport him to Gaza and his wife to Nablus? He accepts an Israeli prison before he would allow that to happen!



43 a Sleepless Gaza Jerusalem.divx:

SleeplessinGaza — April 12, 2010 — April 12, 2010: Day 43 a: Ashira goes to visit In'am to check on her and her family in light of a new military law that can make their life even more miserable than it already is. This family has a permit to sleep at their home in Jerusalem and drive on the road from their home to the checkpoint with the West Bank, ONLY! So they can't visit the store next door, they have to travel to the West Bank, buy their groceries, travel back into their Jerusalem home without getting out of the car! How long does it take In'am to visit her mother who lives 2 minutes away? Farah is shocked at how there are two separate protests for prisoners in Gaza. Fateh was holding a protest inside of the Red Cross Headquarters, their weekly sit-in for prisoners, and Hamas called for a rally outside the same place! Meet families of prisoners on both sides including Um Ahmad whose husband now has several grandchildren that he has never met! Families of Gazan Prisoners, around 11,000, have not been able to visit their loved ones for years."

Part a


Updated April 13, 2010 11:35 A.M. EST

Analysis: "Ethnic Cleansing By Any Other Name" by Yousef Munayyer
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Palestine Center Brief No. 195 (13 April 2010)

By Yousef Munayyer

Background

The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel maintains authoritative jurisdiction over the happenings in the West Bank via its military apparatus. Decisions governing the simplest aspects of Palestinian life, from traveling from one area to another to building a home, ultimately lie under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Military’s High Command in the West Bank. In October of 2009, amendments were made to military orders governing the legitimate presence of persons in Occupied Palestinian Territory. The changes, effective six months after the signing of the orders, are beginning to take effect. It is important to note that Palestinians are not in control of the Palestinian population registry. Israel maintains strict control over this database and continues to do so. It is because of this that Israeli authorities can determine the residencies of Palestinians and only through the Israelis can the Palestinian Authority issue identification documents.

Changes in Israeli Military Orders

The main changes come as amendments to the Israeli Military Order No. 329 titled “Order Regarding Prevention of Infiltration” which was signed into effect two years after the occupation began in 1969. This order defines so-called “infiltrators” as persons who “enter the Area knowingly and unlawfully having been present in the east bank of the Jordan, Syria, Egypt or Lebanon.” In 1969, prior to peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, infiltrators as defined by this order were persons entering the West Bank from enemy states. The amendment to this order, order number 1650, signed in late 2009 changes this definition to “a person who entered the Area unlawfully following the effective date, or a person who is present in the Area and does not lawfully hold a permit.” [emphasis added]

The original order also defines a “resident of the Area” as a “person whose permanent residence is in the Area.” The new order eliminates this definition, apparently leaving determination of residency in the hands of military commanders.

Further, the original order states that a person that is present in the West Bank without documentation of their residency bears the burden of proving that he did not infiltrate the area. The amendment changes this language significantly and simply states that any person present in the West Bank without a document or permit is “presumed to be an infiltrator.” The amendment adds that a lawful document or permit is only one that is issued by the commander of the Israeli Military in the West bank or someone acting on his behalf.

Changes have also been made to the punishments levied against those considered so-called “infiltrators”. The amendments to the order now specify that deportation orders can be carried out as early as 72 hours from the issuance of the order and in some cases even sooner. Further, the Palestinians targeted for deportation will be held liable for the expenses of their deportation up to 7,500 NIS. Under the amendment, a military commander is permitted to seize monies held by the deportee to cover the expenses.

The section of the order on the sentencing of an alleged “infiltrator” was also modified. The old statute condemned an “infiltrator” to “imprisonment of fifteen years or a fine of 10,000 Israeli Lira or both”. The new order seems to condemn Palestinians to imprisonment regardless of their innocence. Read closely the section below:

A. “The infiltrator shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of seven years.
B. The provisions of Subsection (A) notwithstanding, where an infiltrator has proven his entry into the area was lawful – he shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three years”

A second amendment issued at the same time, Order No. 1649, establishes a committee to review deportation orders. However, hearings before this committee are for those held in custody in the process of deportation and the order stipulates that they be allowed a hearing before the committee no later than eight days from the issuance of the deportation order. The obvious problem which arises is that when deportation orders are executable in 72 hours, a Palestinian may be deported before they have a chance to have a hearing.

The collective effects of the changes made by the new orders yields an increased ambiguity that can be dangerously exploited to target Palestinians and others in the West Bank.

Implications for Palestinians Residing in the West Bank

The changes made to these orders may lead to sweeping changes in the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank. Effectively, this order makes every resident of the West Bank subject to treatment as an alleged “infiltrator” and prosecution/deportation under this order for simply being unable to produce identification on the spot or not having the ambiguously defined and potentially unattainable identification mentioned in the amendments.

Two particular Palestinian communities will face increased difficulties because of these changes: Palestinians with Gaza Residencies and Palestinians with East Jerusalem Residencies.

Palestinians from Gaza - Palestinians which are either born in Gaza or maintain permanent residence in Gaza but reside in the West Bank are now subject to prosecution/deportation under this new order. This is a clear violation of the Oslo Accord agreements which stipulated that Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank would be treated as one nation and also a violation of international law which treats the peoples of the West Bank and Gaza as one nation under a single occupation. While it is unclear exactly how many Palestinians from Gaza are currently living in the West Bank, it is certain that this number is in the tens of thousands and possibly higher. This number has also increased in recent years as the prosperity gap between the West Bank and Gaza widened due to an Israeli siege leading many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who were able to come to the West Bank to do so. Aside from families which may have moved from Gaza to the West Bank, many married couples in which one spouse is a resident of Gaza will face forced separation because of the change to this order. Students who have residency in Gaza but study in the West Bank are also vulnerable to prosecution/deportation under this order. While cases like this are not new, this new order will certainly expedite separation and make legal objections far more difficult, placing an insurmountable burden of proof upon Palestinians for the “crime” of living on their land.

Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs - Another group that may face difficulties because of this order are Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs. Palestinians who reside in the territory that Israel refers to as East Jerusalem number approximately 270,000. These Palestinians have Israeli issued residency cards, which gives them a status between Palestinian Citizens of Israel and Palestinian residents of the West Bank. In an attempt to annex Jerusalem’s geography without its demography, Israel permits these Palestinians residency without citizenship. Should Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs be present in the West Bank where they may have numerous family members as well as commercial ties, they too may be treated as infiltrators under this ambiguous order. It is conceivable that Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs prosecuted under this category may eventually lose their residency rights as a result of prolonged incarceration preventing the renewal of their residency.

Implications for Foreign Born Residents in the West Bank

Another category which may be targeted under the changes to this order are foreign born residents of the West Bank. People in this category are most often the spouses of native born Palestinians who reside with their families in the West Bank. A Palestinian born in Jordan, for example, who married a West Bank Palestinian will not have an Israeli issued ID proving residency in the West Bank and will therefore be subject to prosecution/ deportation under these changes.

Implications for Foreign Born visitors in West Bank

The change in definition of “infiltrator” in the old order now seems to allow for the deportation of persons who are foreign born visitors in the West Bank as “infiltrators”. Citizens of foreign countries, like the United States or the United Kingdom for example, who enter into Israel without permission to be in the West Bank can be deported. While this is not expressly stated, it is the clear outcome of the sum of the policies in place. This may be part of an ongoing Israeli effort to silence dissent and crack down on international solidarity members and activists who travel to Palestinian areas to support protests and rallies often bringing with them the eyes of the outside world. The broad language in these orders basically allow the military regime that governs the occupied West Bank to arbitrarily deport or incarcerate nearly anyone present in the area.

In sum, the changes to these orders create a dangerous ambiguity with little protection for the most vulnerable under occupation: the Palestinians. Increasingly, Palestinians find themselves in the cross hairs of policies designed to force them off their land. It is important to keep in mind that in recent years, Israel’s altering of residency policy in Jerusalem has led to a dramatic spike in residency revocations. It happened in the mid-1990s and it culminated in 2008 with a record high 4,800 residency revocations of Palestinians in Jerusalem. There is little doubt that Israel has both the motive and the tendency to use these types of policies as tools for ethnic cleansing. With such ambiguity in these orders, a history of ethnic cleansing and the capacity to carry out such horrific acts, the world should be very wary of what is happening in the Israeli occupied West Bank where Israel is charged under international law with the protection of the native population and not its endangerment. At a time when the United States and the International community have asked Israel to do more to restart peace negotiations, this is a clear and significant step in the opposite direction.

Yousef Munayyer is Executive Director of the Palestine Center. This policy brief may be used without permission but with proper attribution to the Center.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Protesters challenge eviction of Palestinian Families from Sheikh Jarah April 9, 2010

Israeli, Palestinian and International Protesters challenge eviction of Palestinian Families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem. Four activists were arrested.

Sheikh Jarah 09/04/2010:

"ActiveStills — April 10, 2010 — Video by: Petter Lahan, Nissim Musak, Keren Shayo and Daniel Argo Edited by: Activestills.org"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Israeli settlers push further into Palestinian land - 8 Sept 09

Israeli settlers push further into Palestinian land - 8 Sept 09:

Note: Listen to the Zionist Colonialists/settlers at 1:49 of the video screaming "Mavit la Aravim" (Death to the Arabs.)

"Israeli settlers are pushing further into occupied Palestinian land, despite international pressure to halt settlement activity.

Hundreds of Israelis cheered as the first scoops of concrete were poured for a new settlement in an area called 'E1' northeast of Jerusalem.

A Jewish settlement there will be the final link in a chain that cuts off Palestinians in East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.

Al Jazeeras Jacky Rowland reports from EI, where protesting peace activists say the settlers are sabotaging Israels chances for peace."

Comment: Jacky Rowland seems to have swallowed the Israeli government bait that Netanyahu can't survive a decision to freeze settlements/colonies, convincingly broadcasting this propaganda piece.
This calls to mind the proverb "Lord, protect me from my friends as I take care of my enemies!"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

The Elders in Palestine

The Elders hear first hand about life in Gaza, Bil'in and East Jerusalem:

"The Elders were unable to visit Gaza but spoke with young people and others via video link. They then went to the West Bank village of Bil'in where a local protest movement against the separation wall is gaining momentum. In the evening they visited a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem evicted from their homes by Israeli authorities."



The Elders in the West Bank: Checkpoints and politics:

"On the second day of their visit, the Elders met Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem as well as Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad in Ramallah. On their way to the West Bank, they stopped at the Qalandia checkpoint, where hundreds of Palestinians line up daily to cross into Israel under tight security. There they met Zaina who has made the crossing many times to go to school. Zaina joined other young Palestinians in conversation with the Elders later in the day to express their frustrations with the current situation and their hopes for peace."



Desmond Tutu's message to activists: Good will prevail:

"Desmond Tutu shares his words of encouragement for those fighting for what they believe to be right."



And an interview of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Al-Jazeera

Carter urges halt to Israeli settlement building - 27 Aug 09:

"Former US President Jimmy Carter says a freeze on Israeli settlements is 'absolutely necessary' to achieving peace in the Middle East.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Carter, who is currently visiting Israel as a member of the group known as the 'Elders', spoke about his views on the prospects for Middle East peace.

His comments come as Barack Obama, the US president, attempts to seal an Arab-Israeli peace deal that has eluded the region for more than six decades.

His administration has already made it clear it opposes the ongoing building of Jewish settlements on Palestinian land occupied since 1967.

Hundreds of thousands of homes have been constructed by Israel despite international condemnation and in contravention of international law."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Education gap divides Jerusalem - 03 Sep 09

Education gap divides Jerusalem - 03 Sep 09:

"A recent report by an Israeli non-governmental organisation says 5,000 Palestinian children in East Jerusalem will not be able to attend classes this year because there are not enough classrooms.

The Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem lack more than 1,000 classrooms needed to accommodate schoolchildren, according to the report issued by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Ir Amim, an Israeli nonprofit that promotes coexistence in the city.

The widening gap in education between the Arab East and the predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem is all too obvious.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros visited Shaafat Elementary, a school, and found that it was a converted animal barn.

The ACRI report estimates that more than 5,000 would-be students in East Jerusalem are not enrolled in any school.

According to the report, there is a huge discrepancy in the number of schools and quality of education in the Arab East part of Jerusalem, compared to the predominantly Jewish West of the City.

In fact, while the number of public schools in the West is going up. 30,000 Palestinian students in East Jerusalem this year have been forced to attend private schools due to a shortage of at least 1,000 classrooms.

Over 5,000 will not be going to school at all this year.

"There has been a huge increase in the population in East Jerusalem, and that has not been followed by a huge increase in classroom construction," Sarah Kreimer, associate director of Ir Amim, said.

The Jerusalem municipality rejected the report, saying the numbers were "distorted."

Of the nearly 90,000 children between 5 and 18 years old living in East Jerusalem, fewer than half were enrolled in municipal public schools last year, the report said.

Students who do not make it into public school because of the classroom shortage are forced to consider private schools, often at a steep cost, Kreimer said. Some families get priced out, and many students end up at home.

The report also said many existing classrooms were "small, crowded, unventilated and lacking support classes or playgrounds."

Nisreen Elyan, a lawyer for ACRI, told Al Jazeera that the shortage of schools and poor facilities will likely have a long-term social effect on Palestinian children.

"If they're not in school it means they're usually on the streets and they can get into gangs etc which is dangerous," she said.

"Also, it has been shown that once these children are out of the education system it is difficult for them to come back in."

Israeli officials admit there is a huge gap between education systems in the East and West of Jerusalem. They put it down to bureaucratic reasons and the fact that within the municipality few are lobbying on behalf of Palestinian residents."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Settlers Push Palestinians to Sleep on Street

Settlers Push Palestinians to Sleep on Street:

"Israel's continuing policy of settling East Jerusalem has left dozens of Palestinians homeless and sleeping on the streets. Hundreds more are at risk, amidst allegations of document forgery by Israeli settlers who have taken over Palestinian homes.
Recently, Israeli riot police forcibly evicted 53 Palestinian refugees including 20 children from their homes in the East Jerusalem suburb Sheikh Jarrah. Many sustained injuries during the process."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Testimony of Resident Eviction at Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem

Testimony of Resident Eviction at Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem:

Related news:
UN Quartet, European Union Call on Israel to Halt Evictions in Sheikh Jarrah
Source: AIC
This afternoon (19 July 2009) in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, nearly 60 Palestinian, Israeli, and International supporters turned out in solidarity with the Hanoun and Ghawi families, whose final eviction orders became effective at 12:00pm today.

In a show of unity at the highest levels, prominent figures such as the UN representative of the Quartet on the Middle East, the Consul General of current European Union President, Sweden, Nils Eliasson, and the chief representative of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Rafik al-Husseini, called on Israel to cease the demolition of Palestinian homes, and stressed their expectation that the eviction of this family will not occur in the future. The Vice President of the European Union Parliament, Luisa Morgantini, made clear the EU's stance on Jerusalem—that it should be a capital for two states, shared by two people. In a spin on US President Barack Obama's campaign slogan, which has become a source of inspiration for the Hanoun family and residents of Sheikh Jarrah, Morgantiui said "yes we can" stop the current Israeli policy of Palestinian home evictions and demolitions in East Jerusalem.

Dozens of supporters, wearing Hebrew stickers that read "I am Maher Hanoun, come and arrest me," displayed their solidarity with the Sheikh Jarrah father who faces imminent imprisonment by the local authorities. Maher Hanoun was given the following ultimatum by the courts: either abandon your home by this date, or face indefinite jail time and exorbitant fines of 50,000 NIS + $50,000. The Hanoun family (including a wife and three children), with the support of the international community, has chosen to defy the courts and remain in their home, in hopes that the Israeli government will somehow change its stance.

Although the arrest and forceful eviction did not take place this afternoon, the stress of their imminence weighs heavily on the Hanoun family. Because it is no secret to those who have heard the stories of evicted Palestinian families in East Jerusalem—evictions and arrests don't take place in daylight, in front of cameras and foreign dignitaries, but rather under the cloak of darkness, when the international supporters are sleeping peacefully at home in their beds.



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem

Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem

New UN report urges Israel to tackle Palestinian housing crisis in East Jerusalem
1 May 2009 – The United Nations humanitarian wing has urged Israel to address the housing crisis in East Jerusalem, where current building policies and house demolitions have left Palestinians with a serious housing shortage.

The crisis is due to the failure of Israel to provide Palestinian residents with adequate planning, together with the expropriation of about one third of annexed East Jerusalem lands for the construction of settlements, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says in its latest report regarding the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

While about 190,000 Israel settlers currently live in East Jerusalem, Palestinians face significant obstacles to building and are confronted with a serious housing shortage, according to the report, entitled “The Planning Crisis in East Jerusalem: Understanding the Phenomenon of ‘Illegal’ Construction.”

Excessive delays, high fees and the uncertainty associated with the application process push many Palestinians to build without permits. According to OCHA’s conservative estimate, as many as 60,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem are now exposed to the risk of house demolition.

The report notes with concern the accelerating pace of demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures in East Jerusalem and their consequences for Palestinian populations.

Families displaced as a result of these demolitions, OCHA says, are left in psychological distress and in situations of increased vulnerability due to the loss of their primary asset, debts, legal fees and heavy fines imposed by the Jerusalem municipality.

The Office underlines that Israel, as the occupying power, must ensure that the basic needs of the Palestinian population of the occupied territory are met.

The report recommends that the Israeli authorities freeze pending demolition orders, as well as undertake planning that will address the Palestinian housing crisis in East Jerusalem.

Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem
by LunaticEclipse-Palestine

B'Tselem - East Jerusalem - Discrimination in Planning, Building, and Land Expropriation: "Policy of discrimination in planning, building and land expropriation

The planning policy in East Jerusalem since its annexation in 1967 is affected by political considerations and infected by systematic discrimination against the Palestinians living there. While extensive building and enormous budget allocations have been the rule in Jewish neighborhoods, the Israeli government has choked development and building for the Palestinian population.

In June 1967, Israel annexed 70,500 dunams [4 dunams = 1 acre] of East Jerusalem and the West Bank and incorporated them within Jerusalem’s borders. From this annexed territory, Israel has expropriated about one-third of the annexed territory – 24,000 dunams – most of it privately-owned Arab property. Israel used this expropriated land for residential construction. By the end of 2001, 46,978 housing units had been built for Jews on this land, but not one unit for Palestinians who constitute one-third of the city’s population.

At the same time, Israel choked construction in Palestinian neighborhoods and restricted new construction. Immediately upon annexation of East Jerusalem, and contrary to its actions in the rest of the West Bank, the Jordanian outline plans were nullified, thus creating a planning void that took a long time to fill. In the first decade following annexation, construction was only allowed ad hoc in a few areas in East Jerusalem.
Much land surrounding Palestinian villages and neighborhoods was expropriated to build Jewish neighborhoods, leaving no room for Palestinian construction. The Jerusalem Municipality did not establish outline plans for the Palestinian areas. The few plans that were approved were primarily intended to prevent new construction by declaring broad expanses of land as “green areas,” restricting the building percentages on the lots, and setting narrow borders.

In the early 1980s, the Jerusalem Municipality began to prepare outline plans for all the Palestinian neighborhoods. Most of the plans are complete, and others are in the process of planning and approval. The most conspicuous feature of these outline plans is the vast amount (some 40 percent) of area that is designated as “open landscape areas,” on which building is forbidden. In the plans that were approved prior to the end of 1999, only some 5,100 dunams (constituting 11 percent of the land in East Jerusalem, after the expropriation of 24,000 dunams mentioned above) were available for construction for the Palestinian population. As is the case with the demarcation plans existing in the West Bank, construction is allowed primarily in built-up areas.

The consequences of this policy are evident in Palestinian neighborhoods. For example, at the end of 2002, housing density in Arab neighborhoods was almost twice that of Jewish neighborhoods, 11.9 square meters per person compared to 23.8 square meters per person. The existing situation has forced many Palestinians to build homes without first obtaining a building permit. The Jerusalem Municipality enforces the building laws on Palestinians much more stringently than on the Jewish population, even though the number of violations is much higher in the Jewish neighborhoods.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Video diary: Palestinian family resists eviction - 21 Apr 09

Video diary: Palestinian family resists eviction - 21 Apr 09:

"Members of a Palestinian family who have been served an eviction notice to leave their home in the Sheik Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem are taking it in turns to stay awake in case Israeli authorities come to force them out.
Rami Hannoun, one of the family members, said: 'The Israelis say they own this land, that they own it since a long time ago. But we also have papers that say we own this land'."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Palestinian Arabs in Israel complain of discrimination - 20 Apr 09

Arabs in Israel complain of discrimination - 20 Apr 09:

"Israel's treatment of its Arab citizens has raised accusations of racism.

Most Palestinians living in East Jerusalem are not Israeli citizens, instead Israel issues identity cards permitting them to live there.

But now authorities are threatening to retrieve dozens of IDs.

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from East Jerusalem."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Jerusalem Palestinians fear eviction by Israel - 17 Apr 09

Jerusalem Palestinians fear eviction by Israel - 17 Apr 09:

"George Mitchell, the US special envoy to the Middle East, has met Palestinian leaders in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as part of efforts to revive stalled peace talks.

Many Palestinians hope that he will intervene to stop them being evicted from their homes by Israel.

But Palestinian families in east Jerusalem were this week served with eviction notices, despite the fact that the eastern half of the city is meant to constitute the capital of a future Palestinian state. The evictions are illegal, according to international law.

Clayton Swisher met some of those threatened with the loss of their homes."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Separation of Families in Jerusalem + Muslims Barred from Prayer at Al Aqsa

Jerusalem - 'unholy' for Palestinians:

Israeli Policies Divide Families in Jerusalem
Al Jazeera TV, Qatar

Israeli police bar Muslims from prayers at Al-Aqsa
Dubai TV, UAE

[LinkTV/Mosaic]



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Palestinians protest Judaization of Al-Quds [Jerusalem]

Palestinians protest Judaization of Al-Quds:



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Denial of the right to worship, land grab and ethnic cleansing - Business as usual for Israel

Al-Aqsa ban highlights battle for Jerusalem - 16 Apr 09:

"Israeli security forces have prevented Palestinian men under the age of 50 from entering Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

They say it has been cordoned off because of potential clashes with Jewish protesters.

Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland reports from Jerusalem, the disputed city in the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Comment: What does Aljazeera mean by "Jerusalem, the disputed city"? Hasn't Jerusalem been recognized by every country in the world as Occupied land? Hasn't it been recognized by the UN Security Council as Occupied Land? WTF is the matter with Aljazeera?



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Excavations deepen Israeli-Palestinian divide - 16 Apr 09

Excavations deepen Israeli-Palestinian divide - 16 Apr 09:

"Israeli authorities are digging tunnels under East Jerusalem, as part of its takeover of Palestinian neighbourhoods.

Palestinians fear that the very foundations of their lives could be under threat from the tunnels that cut close to the heart of what Muslims call the Haram al-Shareef, known as the Temple Mount to Jews and sacred to both.

Al Jazeera's Clayton Swisher reports."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Press Conference by the residents of East Jerusalem

Press Conference On Sheikh Jarrah:

Sheikh Jarrah residents organize in the face of mass house evictions
Jeff Pickert writing from occupied East Jerusalem, Live from Palestine, 7 April 2009

Source: Electronic Intifada

"We are like the roots of a tree. The Israelis may cut us in places, but we will never die. We will not be transplanted from Jerusalem. I will not leave this house," Maher Hanun tells a crowded room of Palestinian community members supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists. Hanun is one of 51 residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem living in two housing units that are facing imminent eviction by Israeli authorities.

The mood is tense as more than 25 individuals pack into a small room in Hanun's house to plan how to fight the house evictions. Palestinian residents, organized under the Sheikh Jarrah Committee, have invited solidarity activists to come and support their struggle. Internationals from more than 10 countries and Israelis sit in chairs and on the floor as Hanun tells them his story. After his speech, they divide themselves into groups to cover the two threatened housing units. Both the families and the activists gathered in support are determined to stay inside the houses as long as possible when the police arrive to carry out the evictions.

The people living in these housing units, belonging to the al-Ghawe and Hanun families, are due to be forcibly removed from their homes this week, as the papers from the Israeli court they were served with are valid between 15 and 22 March. The courts have justified these evictions by saying that the land that the houses are built on is disputed. Yet, the houses were built under a joint construction project by the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) and the Jordanian government in 1956, 11 years before Israel occupied East Jerusalem. The houses were given to the families, both made refugees in 1948 after Palestinians living in what became the state of Israel were expelled and dispossessed during what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe.

Now these families are threatened with another Nakba. Israeli settlers that have moved into Sheikh Jarrah have falsified documents claiming ownership of the land. The Hanun and al-Ghawe families have presented their legitimate documents and an Israeli judge has not yet ruled on the legality of these papers. Yet the eviction orders are still proceeding, even though no official decision has been reached as to whom the Israeli courts recognize as the true owners.

Both the Hanun and al-Ghawe families were forcibly evicted once before in 2002, after which they lived in tents for four months within sight of their former homes. This traumatic experience stands out as a vivid memory even for the children of the families. As they brace themselves to be evicted for the second time, the distress and apprehension in both households is clearly noticeable. Family members have spent many sleepless nights waiting for the police, never knowing exactly which night they will come. Women in the al-Ghawe residence often recount how their small children were thrown from a second floor window by police when they were evicted the last time.

In addition to the al-Ghawe and Hanun families, 25 other households are also threatened with eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, though official orders have not yet been issued by Israeli courts. In November 2008, the al-Kurd family was evicted from their home in the middle of the night despite widespread public support and diplomatic pressure from American and European diplomats on the Israelis to halt the eviction order. The al-Kurd family has erected a protest tent in the middle of Sheikh Jarrah from where they continue to demand the right to return to their homes. The Israeli police have destroyed the tent five times on the grounds that it is an "illegal structure" even though it is built on private Palestinian property.

Now, with the threat of removal again hanging over their heads, community members of Sheikh Jarrah are organizing. "Stop ethnic cleansing" is their main message to the Israeli authorities and the broader international community. These words can be seen on posters hung in the windows of neighborhood shops, on large banners over the entrances to the al-Ghawe and Hanun residences, as well as the T-shirts that organizers have distributed in the community.

This past week has seen a buzz of activity in the neighborhood. The Sheikh Jarrah Committee, supported by the Coalition for Jerusalem, the International Solidarity Movement, and other human rights organizations, have utilized a myriad of tactics to fight the eviction orders. Throughout the week, dignitaries from foreign nations, journalists, consular representatives from numerous European countries, and even Knesset members have all visited the homes and the protest tent to express their support for the residents of Sheikh Jarrah. The committee has held press conferences, demonstrations outside of court hearings and drafted statements condemning the orders.

The community also attempted to host an event as part of the Jerusalem Capital of Arab Culture festival at the protest tent on 23 March. Israeli authorities have banned the festival in occupied East Jerusalem, yet organizers have continued to defy the ban in order to celebrate Jerusalem's rich Palestinian heritage. Sheikh Jarrah residents also gathered to protest the impending house evictions in addition to the increased repression of Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem. Police violently prevented Sheikh Jarrah residents from praying in front of the tent in conjunction with the festival. Participants were badly beaten and eight people were arrested. The following week, another resident was arrested by police inside the tent for refusing to take down a Palestinian flag hanging inside.

The Sheikh Jarrah Committee members view their struggle against eviction as part of a larger struggle against Palestinian dispossession from East Jerusalem. The nearby neighborhoods of Silwan, Beit Hanina and Shufat refugee camp are also facing large-scale house demolitions and evictions. In the al-Bustaan neighborhood of Silwan alone, 88 houses are slated for demolition. Al-Bustaan residents have erected a protest tent similar to the one in Sheikh Jarrah, and this model of resistance seems to be spreading.

For now, the families and supporting activists wait for the police to come each night. They take shifts to make sure someone is up in each house to alarm the community when the Israeli authorities arrive. Some of the family members have removed all of their furniture in anticipation of the coming raids, but they continue to sleep on mats in the floor. The message is clear: they will not go quietly in the face of this injustice.

Jeff Pickert is an American who has been working in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem for the past four months.


"The residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem are facing eviction following a court decision ruling in favor of radical settlers even though in 2006 it was proven that the documents these settler produced were fake."



Representative from the Abbas office speaking on Ethnic Cleansing in East Jerusalem.



Earlier related News item:
Palestinians benefit as Israel-Turkey ties sour
Jonathan Cook

Source: jkcook.net

Date: March 25. 2009

JERUSALEM // A legal battle being waged by Palestinian families to stop the takeover of their neighbourhood in East Jerusalem by Jewish settlers has received a major fillip from the recent souring of relations between Israel and Turkey.

After the Israeli army’s assault on the Gaza Strip in January, lawyers for the families were given access to Ottoman land registry archives in Ankara for the first time, providing what they say is proof that title deeds produced by the settlers are forged.

On Monday, Palestinian lawyers presented the Ottoman documents to an Israeli court, which is expected to assess their validity over the next few weeks. The lawyers hope that proceedings to evict about 500 residents from Sheikh Jarrah will be halted.

The families’ unprecedented access to the Turkish archives may mark a watershed, paving the way for successful appeals by other Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the West Bank caught in legal disputes with settlers and the Israeli government over land ownership.

Interest in the plight of Sheikh Jarrah’s residents peaked in November when one couple, Fawziya and Mohammed Khurd, were evicted from their home by an Israeli judge. Mr Khurd, who was chronically ill, died days later.

Meanwhile, Mrs Khurd, 63, has staged a protest by living in a tent on waste ground close to her former home. Israeli police have torn down the tent six times and she is facing a series of fines from the Jerusalem municipality.

The problems facing Mrs Khurd and the other residents derive from legal claims by the Sephardi Jewry Association that it purchased Sheikh Jarrah’s land in the 19th century. Settler groups hope to evict all the residents, demolish their homes and build 200 apartments in their place.

The location is considered strategic by settler organisations because it is close to the Old City and its Palestinian holy places.

Unusually, foreign diplomats, including from the United States, have protested, saying eviction of the Palestinian families would undermine the basis of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The help of the Turkish government has been crucial, however, because Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire when the land transactions supposedly took place.

Israel and Turkey have been close military and political allies for decades and traditionally Ankara has avoided straining ties by becoming involved in land disputes in the occupied territories. But there appears to have been an about-turn in Turkish government policy since a diplomatic falling-out between the two countries over Israel’s recent Gaza operation.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, accused his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Olmert, of “lying” and “back-stabbing”, reportedly furious that Israel launched its military operation without warning him. At the time of the attack, Turkey was mediating peace negotiations between Israel and Syria.

Days after the fighting ended in Gaza, Mr Erdogan stormed out of a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, having accused Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, of “knowing very well how to kill”.

According to lawyers acting for the Sheikh Jarrah families, the crisis in relations has translated into a greater openness from Ankara in helping them in their legal battle.

“We have noticed a dramatic change in the atmosphere now when we approach Turkish officials,” said Hatem Abu Ahmad, one of Mrs Khurd’s lawyers. “Before they did not dare upset Israel and put us off with excuses about why they could not help.”

He said the families’ lawyers were finally invited to the archives in Ankara in January, after they submitted requests over several months to the Turkish consulate in Jerusalem and the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Officials in Turkey traced the documents the lawyers requested and provided affidavits that the settlers’ land claims were forged. The search of the Ottoman archives, Mr Abu Ahmad said, had failed to locate any title deeds belonging to a Jewish group for the land in Sheikh Jarrah.

“Turkish officials have also told us that in future they will assist us whenever we need help and that they are ready to trace similar documents relating to other cases,” Mr Abu Ahmad said. “They even asked us if there were other documents we were looking for.”

That could prove significant as the Jerusalem municipality threatens a new campaign of house demolitions against Palestinians. Last week, Nabil Abu Rudeina, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called the recent issuing of dozens of demolition orders in Jerusalem “ethnic cleansing”.

Palestinian legal groups regularly argue that settlers forge documents in a bid to grab land from private Palestinian owners but have great difficulty proving their case.

Late last year the Associated Press news agency exposed a scam by settlers regarding land on which they have built the Migron outpost, near Ramallah, home to more than 40 Jewish families. The settlers’ documents were supposedly signed by the Palestinian owner, Abdel Latif Sumarin, in California in 2004, even though he died in 1961.

The families in Sheikh Jarrah ended up living in their current homes after they were forced to flee from territory that became Israel during the 1948 war. Jordan, which controlled East Jerusalem until Israel’s occupation in 1967, and the United Nations gave the refugees plots on which to build homes.

Mrs Khurd said she would stay in her tent until she received justice.

“My family is originally from Talbiyeh,” she said, referring to what has become today one of the wealthiest districts of West Jerusalem. “I am not allowed to go back to the property that is rightfully mine, but these settlers are given my home, which never belonged to them.”

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

House Demoliton in East Jerusalem

House Demoliton in Sur Bahir (East Jerusalem):

"Israeli soldiers and demolition team destroy the Dwayat family house in Sur Bahir. Husam Taysir Dwayat was the first Jerusalem bulldozer attacker and was shot dead on the scene. His family recieved an eviction and demolition order last month."

Comment: Demolishing the family home is a form of collective punishment prohibited under international law.





16 April 2009: Security forces demolish house of family of perpetrator of attack in Jerusalem
Source: B'Tselem

On 7 April, security forces demolished the apartment, in Zur Baher, East Jerusalem, of the family of Husam Dwiyat, who carried out a bulldozer attack in the center of Jerusalem in July of last year. The demolition took place after the High Court of Justice denied, on 18 March, the family’s petition opposing the action.

As in previous cases of this kind, the justices (Levy, Grunis, and Na’or) accepted the state’s argument that demolition of the family home will deter others from carrying out similar acts. The justices approved the demolition, even though the state never contended that Dwiyat’s family assisted him or knew of his plans.
From 1967 to 2005, Israel maintained a policy to demolish or seal houses in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a means to punish the families of Palestinians who had harmed Israelis. The policy was based on the claim that, out of concern for their families, Palestinians would be deterred from carrying out attacks. In implementing this policy, from October 2001 to the end of January 2005, Israel demolished 664 houses, leaving 4,182 persons homeless.

This practice is forbidden under international humanitarian law. The declared objective is to harm innocent persons – relatives of suspects – whom nobody contends were involved in any offense. As such, it constitutes collective punishment, which violates the principle that a person is not to be punished for the acts of another.

In February 2005, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon accepted the recommendations of a team headed by Maj. Gen. Udi Shani, and decided that houses would no longer be demolished as punishment. The change in policy had a few causes, among them the determination that it is was impossible to state without reservation that house demolitions were effective in preventing terrorist attacks. In addition, evidence was presented to the Shani team indicating that house demolitions as punishment created immense hatred, which increased motivation to carry out terrorist attacks. In addition, it was determined by the committee that house demolitions adversely affected Israel’s public image around the world, and its legality under international law was unclear.

The judge advocate general, Brig. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, explained at a meeting of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset that the decision to cease house demolitions as punishment did not relate only to periods of calm, and that it would remain in effect also if terrorist attacks resumed. The JAG emphasized that the decision was sweeping, and that the subject would be reconsidered only in the event of a drastic change in circumstances.

Despite this, on 19 January 2009, without giving a convincing explanation, Israel renewed its policy and sealed two of four floors in the house of the family of the perpetrator of the attack at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, ‘Alaa Abu Dahim, in which his parents and one of his brothers lived. In that case as well, the High Court approved the state’s action.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

East Jerusalem House Demolition (Old City)

East Jerusalem House Demolition (Old City):

"Children clean up rubble after a house demolition in the Old City of East Jerusalem after their home was destroyed by Israeli military. If the rubble is not cleaned up the family will be charged $600 a day along with paying for the house demolition itself."



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

A Beit Safafa Demolition

A Beit Safafa Demolition:

"On March 17, 2009, the Israeli authorities demolished a portion of a house in the Bait Safafa neighborhood of Jerusalem. The Arab residents were outraged when the house where they had been living for the past 7 years was destroyed without any prior notice."



EAST JERUSALEM
Policy of discrimination in planning, building and land expropriation
Source: B'Tselem

The planning policy in East Jerusalem since its annexation in 1967 is affected by political considerations and infected by systematic discrimination against the Palestinians living there. While extensive building and enormous budget allocations have been the rule in Jewish neighborhoods, the Israeli government has choked development and building for the Palestinian population.

In June 1967, Israel annexed 70,500 dunams [4 dunams = 1 acre] of East Jerusalem and the West Bank and incorporated them within Jerusalem’s borders. From this annexed territory, Israel has expropriated about one-third of the annexed territory – 24,000 dunams – most of it privately-owned Arab property. Israel used this expropriated land for residential construction. By the end of 2001, 46,978 housing units had been built for Jews on this land, but not one unit for Palestinians who constitute one-third of the city’s population.

At the same time, Israel choked construction in Palestinian neighborhoods and restricted new construction. Immediately upon annexation of East Jerusalem, and contrary to its actions in the rest of the West Bank, the Jordanian outline plans were nullified, thus creating a planning void that took a long time to fill. In the first decade following annexation, construction was only allowed ad hoc in a few areas in East Jerusalem.
Much land surrounding Palestinian villages and neighborhoods was expropriated to build Jewish neighborhoods, leaving no room for Palestinian construction. The Jerusalem Municipality did not establish outline plans for the Palestinian areas. The few plans that were approved were primarily intended to prevent new construction by declaring broad expanses of land as “green areas,” restricting the building percentages on the lots, and setting narrow borders.

In the early 1980s, the Jerusalem Municipality began to prepare outline plans for all the Palestinian neighborhoods. Most of the plans are complete, and others are in the process of planning and approval. The most conspicuous feature of these outline plans is the vast amount (some 40 percent) of area that is designated as “open landscape areas,” on which building is forbidden. In the plans that were approved prior to the end of 1999, only some 5,100 dunams (constituting 11 percent of the land in East Jerusalem, after the expropriation of 24,000 dunams mentioned above) were available for construction for the Palestinian population. As is the case with the demarcation plans existing in the West Bank, construction is allowed primarily in built-up areas.

The consequences of this policy are evident in Palestinian neighborhoods. For example, at the end of 2002, housing density in Arab neighborhoods was almost twice that of Jewish neighborhoods, 11.9 square meters per person compared to 23.8 square meters per person. The existing situation has forced many Palestinians to build homes without first obtaining a building permit. The Jerusalem Municipality enforces the building laws on Palestinians much more stringently than on the Jewish population, even though the number of violations is much higher in the Jewish neighborhoods.

Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog

Jerusalem as capital of Arab culture 2009

Jerusalem as capital of Arab culture 2009:

"The Israeli forces were trying to stop people from celebrating Jerusalem as a capital of Arab culture for 2009, or from celebrating mothers day in Jerusalem. (Taken from Aljazeera, March 22, 2009)"



Palestine Video - A Palestine Vlog