Israeli gov’t seeks US approval to apply settlement law on oPt

In a provocative step contradicts with the international law and resolutions of international legitimacy, the Israeli government seeks US – Israeli understandings on settlement to be imposed later as a de facto on the Palestinians. The Israeli staff for building in the settlements, under the chairmanship of Tel Aviv Ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermir started contacts with Jason Greenblat, the US President’s Advisor for International Affairs to tackle the settlement file in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem in the light of the agreement that Netanyahu reached with US President Trump during his recent visit to Washington, where it was agreed to form a joint-special crew to follow-up the Israeli settlements in order to narrow the gaps between the 2 sides on that.

In a new maneuver, the ruling right-wing coalition in Israel postponed once again a vote on a bill that calls for annexing Ma’ale Adumim settlement to the Israeli sovereignty, which if approved will separate north of the West Bank from the south, and gives a chance to impose the Israeli law on large areas adjacent to the settlement in question. It was scheduled to submit the bill to the Ministerial Committee on Legislation Affairs next Sunday.

The aim of annexing Ma’ale Adumim is to apply the Israeli law on it, and consequently applying the Israeli law on the E1area. It is known that the E1 area is 12 sq.km i.e. 12,000 donums. Thus, establishing a contiguous Palestinian state is difficult. Noteworthy, that the mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, Benny Ksriial has begun a campaign to put pressure on ministers to support the proposal for approving the annexation law. Within the context, he along with a group of youth ministers distribute phones numbers, and request to send personal messages asking them to vote for applying Israeli sovereignty on the Ma’ale Adumim.

In an illegal measure, the Israeli public prosecutor asked the Higher Court to give it a bit of  time to study the effects of applying the Settlement Law on the Palestinian territories that settlers use as farms near the Shiloh settlement, where Israeli public prosecutor informed the High Court that the government is considering the application of regulatory law on Palestinian agricultural land, as part of its response to a petition filed by Palestinian farmers, who accused the settlers of entering their land and cultivating them near Jalood village. The prosecution’s response allows Israel to confiscate nearly 8,000 donums and gives them to settlers, who confiscated them in 2009, despite the court resolution to evacuate them of settlers.

It was also noticed that the Knesset member and Vice-Chairman of the Jewish Home party, Btzlal Smotritsc is living in an illegal house at Nacudem settlement which was built in a private Palestinian land. Noting that Smotritsc was the initiators of enacting the confiscation of the private Palestinian land’s law in favour of the settlement .

Within the framework of hectic efforts made by the Israeli government to accelerate the ongoing Judaization operations in the Jerusalem city, the Reconciliation Court in the occupied Jerusalem ruled that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a holy place for the Jews and have the right to pray in it, with no right to anyone to stop them from reaching its yards.

In Al-Quds Governorate, the Israeli occupation authorities also began working to pave a temporary road connecting a new outpost near Gilo settlement with a new settlement, while the Israeli authorities announced a project that cost NIS 45 to erect 12 factories near Qalandia industrial zone on an area of 100 donums.

On another level, the Israeli authorities informed the so-called Higher Court that houses of the killers of Martyr Moh’d Abu Khdir will not be demolished.

Within the context, the National Bureau condemned the double standards policy in dealing with the settlers as it provides them with the right environment and the incubator of terrorism, and at the same time dealing with a clear racism towards the Palestinians under occupation, who the international laws guaranteed their rights to resist the occupation.

The following Violations were documented by the National Bureau over the last week:

Jerusalem:

Landslides took place at the Baidon yard in Silwan town, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, resulted from the continued Israeli occupation excavations in the area run by settlers under the supervision and support of the occupation authorities to open tunnels toward Al-Aqsa mosque and the courtyard of the Al-Boraq Wall and the surrounding area. Moreover, the Israeli Municipality buldozers demolished in the occupied Jerusalem a residential building, belonging to Khalid Mah’d Nimr in the Issawiya town that home about 30 citizens under the pretext of being built without a license, besides the demolition of apartment building belonging to Ghanim Mostafa under the same pretext.

Hebron:

The martyrdom of Sa’ad Moh’d Ali, 24, from Al-Dahreia town, Hebron, as right-wing settler shot him under the pretext of stabbing a settler at Tina-Omarim settlement to the south of Hebron.

Jenin:

Israeli settlers stormed the evacuated Tersala settlement near Jaba town to the south of Jenin, and then broke into a mosque in the town and performed Talmudic rituals before leaving. Moreover, the occupation forces delivered 14 orders to the owners of vegetable stalls north of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank to demolish those stalls and warned them not to stay away from the Nazareth Road and the Al-Jalama crossing under the pretext of being a military zone.

Ramallah:

Scores of settlers fired live bullets against the people of Nabi Salih village to prevent them from reaching a spring near the village, which they confiscated it in 2008 and annexed it to Halmish settlement built on 60% of the lands of villages of Nabi Salih and Deir Nizam.

Nablus:

Israeli settlers carried out provocative acts in the area between the Beit Forik and Beit Dajan towns east of Nablus, where several settlers’ jeeps broke into the towns and wandered in a provocative manner at the bypass road near Alon-Moreh and Itamar settlements.  Moreover, the Shavei-Shomron’s settlers close the main road between Nablus and Tulkarem, and behaved arrogantly against Palestinian citizens and prevented vehicle from entering the Nablus city.

Salfit:

Havat-Yair settlers have spoiled a well near Wadi Kana, where farmers from the Deirestia town benefit from it in irrigation and watering their land and their livestock in an attempt to expel the farmers, and to impose complete control on fertile river, which covers an area of approximately 12,000 donums.

Jordan Valley:

The Israeli occupation authorities warned Palestinian citizens to demolish 6 houses and facilities in the Kardala village.  Furthermore, they seized 4 machines belonging to citizens from the village. The so-called the Isralei Nature Protection Authority along with a number of extremist settlers stationed at the outpost, which they established on the lands of Khirbet Al-Mzoqah in the Jordan Valley pursued farmers and shepherds there in order to prevent them from reaching the area. 

Source :PNN