By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
The national Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements ( nbprs ) stated in its latest weekly report that , Israeli Occupation governors in Tel Aviv said that the Jewish settlement project is continuing to Judaize Jerusalem. Thus, the so-called “Israeli Planning Committee” in Jerusalem approved 3 new settlement construction plans in the Jabal Abu Ghim, the Industrial Zone, and the zoo area established on the Al-Walaja and Beit Jala lands, with a total of about 700 settlement units, which is the fifth project since the beginning of 2023 i.e. the far-right government took office, which opened the door wide for settlement projects including the building of settlement towers in order to form demographic wall that separates the occupied Jerusalem from the West Bank.
The first plan is located in Tall Bayot in a central street complex separating the western part of Jerusalem from the eastern part, and linking the southern region to the settlement gathering “Kfar Etzion”, and settlement outposts in the north of Hebron with an area of about 16 dunums which includes the construction of a 30-storey settlement residential tower with 115 settlement units, while the tower’s basements have general needs shops and a commercial facade as well as the construction of a 12-storey settlement building with 42 residential units.
As for the second plan, it includes two new residential towers of 34 floors, above two basement floors, including a commercial facade and work areas, and a total of 330 settlement units. In addition, general needs shop will be made in the basement area located towards the existing public transport network and the light rail which is being prepared to link the zoo.
The third plan includes the construction of two new settlement towers, one consisting of 30 floors and the other of 16 floors, which includes a commercial facade and about 210 settlement units. In addition to constructing a daycare center, kindergarten, a branch of a community center and a synagogue as well as a pedestrian crossing between two settlement towers. The mayor of the occupation, Moshe Lion, said, “The municipality will continue this policy with the aim of adding the largest possible number of settlement units.”
In general, an Israeli report revealed that the Israeli police ignored the vast majority of settler attacks targeting Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank. According to the report published by the Israeli “Yesh Din” organization that 93% of the investigation files against settlers ended without filing indictments and recording the assault against an unknown person, and that 1,597 settler assaults were recorded from 2005 until the end of 2022, when an investigation was opened in 7 % of them, and indictments were filed in only 107 files, while 81% of the files were closed, which indicates the police’s disregard for Palestinian complaints while opening investigations and filing indictments against the majority of Palestinians against whom complaints were filed by settlers. The report also showed that 3% only of the indictments filed ended up convicting the settlers.
List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Assaulting Palestinian citizens and foreign solidarity activists in a stand condemning the Israeli measures against evacuating the Sheikh Jarrah residents.
- Handing over a demolition order to the Shuqairat family house with an area of 220m2 in the town of Jabal al-Mukaber under the pretext of not having a building permit and gave them 21 days to empty its contents.
- Demolishing three houses which was built 25 years ago of the Totah family in the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood under the pretext of not having a building permit as well as demolishing an agricultural room, uprooted trees belonging to Muhammad Musa Dirbas,75, in the eastern lands of the village of Al-Issawiya and removed an iron fence around an area of a one and a half dunum , uprooted olive, citrus, figs and grape trees as well.
Bethlehtm:
- Demolishing a chapel erected on the land of the citizen Ahmed Taqatqa and a barn to sell chandeliers in the “Umm Said” area in the beit taamer village in the east of Bethlehem under the pretext of not having a building permit
- Issuing a demolition order to the “Tahdi 5” basic school, in the “Jub Al-Dhib” area in the village of Beit Ta’mar, in line with a lawsuit filed by the Zionist “Ragavim” Foundation with a period of 60 day for the implementation of the demolition.
Nablus:
- Assaulting the elderly Daoud Hassan Al-Safadi, while plowing his land in the eastern region of the town of Urif as well as arresting him.
- Attacking citizens’ homes on the outskirts of Burin village and throwing stones at them ,firing live bullets in the air as well.
- Throwing stones at citizens’ vehicles on the main Hawara Street, which led to the shattering of the windows of a number of them.
- Notifying to remove four tents and barns belonging to the citizen Abu Salem Malihat, whose house was demolished weeks ago by the Israeli forces in the village of Duma, south of Nablus, in addition to stop construction of the house of citizen Muhammad Ibrahim Dawabsha.
- The injury of six citizens as a result of the Israeli settlers attack on the town of Hawara, which led to the injury of citizen Idris with a stone in the head and his family members by shards of glass and suffocation.
Salfeet:
- Uprooting 80 olive trees between the ages of 5-8 years in the town of Yasouf, east of Salfit which has an area of about 150 dunums.
- Handing over a notice to confiscate an area of 84 m2 of citizens’ lands under the pretext of erecting a military tower in that area
- Erecting a tent on the citizens’ lands in the Za’tara Basin area, east of the village, in an attempt to seize it.
- Storming the town of Kifl Haris, north of Salfit, under the Israeli forces protection ,desecrated the Islamic shrines and performed Talmudic rituals in the town, chanted racist slogans as well.
- Attacking the citizens’ vehicles with stones at the entrance to the village of Marda, north of Salfit.
- Handing over notices to stop work and construction on three houses under construction, two barns and 9 agricultural rooms in the western area of Zawiya town.
Qalqilia:
- A young man, Abdul Karim Badi’ al-Sheikh,21, from the village of Sinria, south of Qalqilya, was killed by a settler claiming that he tried to stab him near the “Dorot Farm” outpost between Salfit and Qalqilya.
- Handing over a notice to stop building an agricultural room in the village of Jayyous, belonging to Saleh Qassem, with an area of 30 m2, in the “Al-Morouj” area behind the apartheid wall under the pretext of not having a building permit.
Jordan Valley:
- Seizing mobile homes, “caravans” east of Jericho, in the Al-matar area, belonging to a citizen in Jerusalem.
- Demolishing two houses in the “Arab Tarifat” community, northwest of Jericho.
- Notifying of halting work on facilities in the Khirbet Humsa al-Tahta including: tents, residential facilities, and animal barns.
- Excavation and restoration work in the vicinity of the “Ain Blaibel” water spring, near the village of Ain al-Bayda, in preparation for its seizure.
