26 july 2015
The Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies warned of Israeli intents to grant final endorsement of a bill to force feed Palestinian hunger-striking detainees.
The center’s media spokesman Reyad al-Ashqar quoted Arab MK Jamal Zahalqa as stating that the Knesset’s interior committee plucked up all of its allotted powers to endorse the force-feeding legislation after it turned down all appeals filed by the Joint Arab List.
MKs are expected to cast their votes on the law, in its second and third readings, on Monday so as to pave the way for its enactment.
Al-Ashqar called for mobilizing popular and international protests against the bill, warning of its serious repercussions on the lives of Palestinian detainees.
He said Israeli stakeholders have done it all to back up the legislation despite internal opposition.
In June, the Knesset passed its first reading of the bill in anticipation of its quasi-final endorsement Monday.
The center’s media spokesman Reyad al-Ashqar quoted Arab MK Jamal Zahalqa as stating that the Knesset’s interior committee plucked up all of its allotted powers to endorse the force-feeding legislation after it turned down all appeals filed by the Joint Arab List.
MKs are expected to cast their votes on the law, in its second and third readings, on Monday so as to pave the way for its enactment.
Al-Ashqar called for mobilizing popular and international protests against the bill, warning of its serious repercussions on the lives of Palestinian detainees.
He said Israeli stakeholders have done it all to back up the legislation despite internal opposition.
In June, the Knesset passed its first reading of the bill in anticipation of its quasi-final endorsement Monday.
The Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that a document released by the Civil Administration Office of the Defense Ministry affirms that Susiya village, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, is built on private Palestinian property.
But in spite of this admission, the Israeli military has stated that they will continue with a plan to demolish the village, and forcibly relocate the Palestinian families who live there.
The Jabour and Nawaja families, based in Susiya for hundreds of years, have in their possession ownership documents of their land that date back to the Ottoman empire of the late 1800s.
They are among the 40 extended families (around 350 people) who live in Susiya who are facing forced relocation by the Israeli government.
The residents of Susiya are caught between conflicting Israeli orders: they have been told that their homes and farms lack the proper construction permits, while at the same time, Israeli officials have been ordered not to issue any construction permits for Palestinian residents of the area because of what the Israeli government termed a “lack of ownership papers”.
Although multiple families in the village do have the Ottoman-era ownership papers, the Israeli government had, up to this point, refused to recognize them because the property lines and geographical references were allegedly unclear.
But now, an Israeli civil servant assigned to the task of investigating the Palestinian claims of ownership has identified the geographical elements referenced in the original ownership documents, and has confirmed that the families do indeed own the land on which they have lived for generations.
The civil servant, Moshe Meiri, presented his findings this week to the Israeli Civil Administration, and concluded that the demolition orders issued against the Jabour and Nawaja families must be rescinded.
Despite this finding, the Israeli military has resumed plans to demolish the family homes, barns and stables in Susiya village.
The 350 Palestinian residents of the village have been joined by international solidarity activists in a round-the-clock vigil to try to stop the demolitions from proceeding.
In 2013, the residents of Susiya had submitted a master plan for the future development of their village, but the Israeli civil administration rejected the plan, saying that the residents should instead be forcibly relocated to allow for the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlements being constructed in the area.
The right-wing group Amana filed a case in the Israeli court system to try to push for the demolition of the village. And while the court initially ruled against the residents of Susiya, the court also called for an investigation into the ownership papers, which has now been completed and has confirmed Palestinian ownership of the land.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby stated on July 17th, just over a week ago, that “We’re closely following developments in the village of Susiya in the West Bank, and we strongly urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from carrying out any demolitions in the village. Demolition of this Palestinian village or of parts of it, and evictions of Palestinians from their homes would be harmful and provocative. Such actions have an impact beyond those individuals and families who are evicted. We are concerned that the demolition of this village may worsen the atmosphere for a peaceful resolution and would set a damaging standard for displacement and land confiscation, particularly given settlement-related activity in the area.”
Despite this statement and the most recent findings of the civil servant charged with investigating ownership of the land, the Israeli planning council continues to move forward with a plan to demolish the village and forcibly transfer the residents of Susiya to the town of Yatta nearby.
But in spite of this admission, the Israeli military has stated that they will continue with a plan to demolish the village, and forcibly relocate the Palestinian families who live there.
The Jabour and Nawaja families, based in Susiya for hundreds of years, have in their possession ownership documents of their land that date back to the Ottoman empire of the late 1800s.
They are among the 40 extended families (around 350 people) who live in Susiya who are facing forced relocation by the Israeli government.
The residents of Susiya are caught between conflicting Israeli orders: they have been told that their homes and farms lack the proper construction permits, while at the same time, Israeli officials have been ordered not to issue any construction permits for Palestinian residents of the area because of what the Israeli government termed a “lack of ownership papers”.
Although multiple families in the village do have the Ottoman-era ownership papers, the Israeli government had, up to this point, refused to recognize them because the property lines and geographical references were allegedly unclear.
But now, an Israeli civil servant assigned to the task of investigating the Palestinian claims of ownership has identified the geographical elements referenced in the original ownership documents, and has confirmed that the families do indeed own the land on which they have lived for generations.
The civil servant, Moshe Meiri, presented his findings this week to the Israeli Civil Administration, and concluded that the demolition orders issued against the Jabour and Nawaja families must be rescinded.
Despite this finding, the Israeli military has resumed plans to demolish the family homes, barns and stables in Susiya village.
The 350 Palestinian residents of the village have been joined by international solidarity activists in a round-the-clock vigil to try to stop the demolitions from proceeding.
In 2013, the residents of Susiya had submitted a master plan for the future development of their village, but the Israeli civil administration rejected the plan, saying that the residents should instead be forcibly relocated to allow for the expansion of the illegal Israeli settlements being constructed in the area.
The right-wing group Amana filed a case in the Israeli court system to try to push for the demolition of the village. And while the court initially ruled against the residents of Susiya, the court also called for an investigation into the ownership papers, which has now been completed and has confirmed Palestinian ownership of the land.
U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby stated on July 17th, just over a week ago, that “We’re closely following developments in the village of Susiya in the West Bank, and we strongly urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from carrying out any demolitions in the village. Demolition of this Palestinian village or of parts of it, and evictions of Palestinians from their homes would be harmful and provocative. Such actions have an impact beyond those individuals and families who are evicted. We are concerned that the demolition of this village may worsen the atmosphere for a peaceful resolution and would set a damaging standard for displacement and land confiscation, particularly given settlement-related activity in the area.”
Despite this statement and the most recent findings of the civil servant charged with investigating ownership of the land, the Israeli planning council continues to move forward with a plan to demolish the village and forcibly transfer the residents of Susiya to the town of Yatta nearby.
24 july 2015
Nadiya Abu Jamal and two of her children stand in their house in occupied East Jerusalem on Nov. 27, 2014
The Israeli Supreme Court, on Wednesday, gave the family of a Palestinian man involved in an attack in Jerusalem until the beginning of October to leave to the occupied West Bank.
Ghassan Abu Jamal, 32, was killed by Israeli forces on Nov. 18, 2014, after him and his cousin, Uday, killed four rabbis and a policeman in a synagogue in West Jerusalem.
Ma'an News Agency reports that the Jerusalem residency of Ghassan’s wife, Nadiya, was revoked by Israeli authorities in May and she was ordered to move back to the West Bank where her family resides.
The Hamoked Center for the Defense of the Individual had then presented an appeal to the Minister of Interior and the Supreme Court to allow Nadiya to stay in Jerusalem with her three children on the grounds that the three had no relation to the attack.
The court refused the appeal and instead ruled that the children would be sent to the West Bank as well, ruling that the mother gained custody after the death of her husband.
Ghassan’s brother Muawiya said that the appeal had stressed the importance of keeping the family's children, Walid, 6, Salma, 4, and Muhammad, 3, with their mother in Jerusalem.
Forcing the children and their mother to leave Jerusalem means separating the children from their home, family and the village they grew up in, he said.
Nadiya is from the town of al-Sawahra al-Sharqiya south east of Jerusalem and holds a West Bank ID card. She married Ghassan in 2002 and applied for a reunion paper but was rejected until she received the approval for “residency and permit” in 2009 that enabled her to live in Jerusalem, as long as the permit was renewed every year.
Israeli policies make it near-impossible for Palestinians to obtain residency status in Jerusalem, and difficult for those who have it to retain it.
The residency status of 107 Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem was revoked in 2014, adding to the 14,309 Palestinians who have lost residency since 1967 despite being from the area.
Such revocations are part of Israeli policy in East Jerusalem which aims to maintain a 70 percent Jewish majority in the city, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem.
Punitive measures as 'collective punishment'
Prior to Wednesday's order to permanently revoke the family's residency, the Abu Jamal family faced threats of home demolition to their East Jerusalem home.
Ghassan and Nadiya's three children, though allowed to remain in East Jerusalem at the time, were denied social benefits by Israeli authorities after November's attack.
“Israel claims to be democratic while deporting children from their home and separating them from their family," Nidaya said after the court ruling Wednesday.
"We live in shock and pain ever since Ghassan was killed, with orders to demolish our home and cancel the reunion and residency, and preventing my children from having their health insurance," she added.
Over the past two months, Israeli forces have entered and raided the homes of Ghassan and Uday Abu Jamal in the Jabal al-Mukabbir village of occupied East Jerusalem several times.
The forces reportedly searched and took photos of the homes as well as of all family members during such raids, the families say.
At the beginning of July, Israeli forces sealed off the home of Uday with steel boards and later destroyed a tent provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross for the displaced family to live in.
Israel stopped punitive house demolitions in 2009 but resumed the practice last November when Israeli forces razed the house of a Palestinian man that killed two Israelis by running over them with his car last October. Israeli rights group B'Tselem said in response that punitive house demolitions are "fundamentally wrong" and contravene "basic moral standards by punishing people for the misdeeds of others."
Watch dogs have widely criticized the Israeli policy saying that it contributes to a cycle of violence and merely inflicts collective punishment on family members.
Israel’s Supreme Court Decides to Expel the Children of the Martyr Ghassan Abu Jamal from the City of Jerusalem
The Israeli Supreme Court refused today on Wednesday the petition made by ‘Hamoked’ to allow the three children of the Martyr Ghassan Abu Jamal to remain in the city Jerusalem under their mothers custody Ms. “Nadia Abu Jamal”
The Court gave the Martyrs’ family until the beginning of October to leave to the West Bank.
Ma’wiya Abu Jamal –the martyr Ghassans’ brother – stated that the session was held today at the Israeli Supreme Court to discuss the petition made by “Hamoked”, demanding to allow the children of the martyr Ghassan whom are (Walid 6 years, Salma 4 years and Mohammad 3 years) to stay in their house between their family members in the city of Jerusalem and their village that they lived and grow up in with their mother, noting that the Supreme Court had approved a decision made by the Minister of Interior to expel “their mother Nadia Abu Jamal” from the city and erase her application for a Jerusalem Identification card in the end of last May.
Abu Jamal added that during the session today the importance of keeping the children with their mother and family in the city of Jerusalem was made clear, expelling them from the city means separating them from their relatives and friends, they will also lose their allowances such as National and Medical Health Insurance, they will also be denied from their school not forgetting their Psychological state they live in since the martyrdom of their Father.
Abu Jamal stated that after listening to the claims the Judge refused to allow Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal stay in the city of Jerusalem for any reason, in return and according to the law the custody over the children “when a father passes away goes directly to the mother” and accordingly the children must be expelled with their mother to the West Bank.
Ma’wiya Abu Jamal added: “during the session the Judge orally said that the custody over the children must be moved to their family so they can stay inside of Jerusalem, the family were surprised from this, they said: ‘how can we deny the children from their mother after the martyrdom of their father, how can we deny a mother from her children and she is the one that lost a husband, the house and a residency inside of Jerusalem with her family”.
Abu Jamal also added: “to be honest, the refusal of the mother to stay with her children means expelling the children from the city of Jerusalem and denying them their rights and benefits.
Ma’wiya added that “Hamoked Center” requested from the Supreme Court to allow the wife of the Martyr Ghassan to only remain in the village of Jabal Al Mukabir and give her a residency permit to “only live in the village”, however their request was also refused.
The Children Require Special Health care and medical follow ups
It is said that the occupying authorities denied the children of the martyr Ghassan from receiving treatment at Israeli Hospitals and medical centers noting that his elder son Walid 6 years has heart problems and the youngest Mohammad 3 years and a half suffers from nerve problems, both of them require special health care and medical follow ups, the authorities also denied them their national insurance allowances.
Cancelling and withdrawal of Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal’s application
Abu Jamal Family members stated that the application for residency was cancelled and withdrawn from Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal the day Ghassan became a martyr, hence she was informed of this during her interrogation in Al-Maskubyeh Detention Center in West Jerusalem, and accordingly “Hamoked” institution followed up the situation and a formal letter was sent to the Minister of Interior that issued the ruling, to the Ministry of Interior and to the Supreme Court”, their response was negative every time until the final ruling was issued before two months.
Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal is from the Eastern Sawahre and has a west bank identification card, in the year 2002 she married to the martyr Ghassan Abu Jamal and applied for a residency form in the begging and was rejected, in 2009 she received an approval for “residency and a permit” so she can live inside Jerusalem and travel between the city and the West Bank only through “the main checkpoints”, and this residency is renewed annually.
In his turn the lawyer Mohammad Mahmoud considered the Minister of Interior the decision maker on cancelling the residency application of the martyr Ghassan Abu Jamals’ wife; exiling her from Jerusalem is a serious precedent that came as a punishment for the family after the martyr executed the operation in an Israeli synagogue in the village of Deir Yaseen west Jerusalem at the end of last year.
The lawyer Mahmoud added that the Israeli Authorities insist on applying sanctions on Al Jamal family members despite that they have nothing to do with the operation that took place, they did not commit any security violations.
The Israeli Supreme Court, on Wednesday, gave the family of a Palestinian man involved in an attack in Jerusalem until the beginning of October to leave to the occupied West Bank.
Ghassan Abu Jamal, 32, was killed by Israeli forces on Nov. 18, 2014, after him and his cousin, Uday, killed four rabbis and a policeman in a synagogue in West Jerusalem.
Ma'an News Agency reports that the Jerusalem residency of Ghassan’s wife, Nadiya, was revoked by Israeli authorities in May and she was ordered to move back to the West Bank where her family resides.
The Hamoked Center for the Defense of the Individual had then presented an appeal to the Minister of Interior and the Supreme Court to allow Nadiya to stay in Jerusalem with her three children on the grounds that the three had no relation to the attack.
The court refused the appeal and instead ruled that the children would be sent to the West Bank as well, ruling that the mother gained custody after the death of her husband.
Ghassan’s brother Muawiya said that the appeal had stressed the importance of keeping the family's children, Walid, 6, Salma, 4, and Muhammad, 3, with their mother in Jerusalem.
Forcing the children and their mother to leave Jerusalem means separating the children from their home, family and the village they grew up in, he said.
Nadiya is from the town of al-Sawahra al-Sharqiya south east of Jerusalem and holds a West Bank ID card. She married Ghassan in 2002 and applied for a reunion paper but was rejected until she received the approval for “residency and permit” in 2009 that enabled her to live in Jerusalem, as long as the permit was renewed every year.
Israeli policies make it near-impossible for Palestinians to obtain residency status in Jerusalem, and difficult for those who have it to retain it.
The residency status of 107 Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem was revoked in 2014, adding to the 14,309 Palestinians who have lost residency since 1967 despite being from the area.
Such revocations are part of Israeli policy in East Jerusalem which aims to maintain a 70 percent Jewish majority in the city, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem.
Punitive measures as 'collective punishment'
Prior to Wednesday's order to permanently revoke the family's residency, the Abu Jamal family faced threats of home demolition to their East Jerusalem home.
Ghassan and Nadiya's three children, though allowed to remain in East Jerusalem at the time, were denied social benefits by Israeli authorities after November's attack.
“Israel claims to be democratic while deporting children from their home and separating them from their family," Nidaya said after the court ruling Wednesday.
"We live in shock and pain ever since Ghassan was killed, with orders to demolish our home and cancel the reunion and residency, and preventing my children from having their health insurance," she added.
Over the past two months, Israeli forces have entered and raided the homes of Ghassan and Uday Abu Jamal in the Jabal al-Mukabbir village of occupied East Jerusalem several times.
The forces reportedly searched and took photos of the homes as well as of all family members during such raids, the families say.
At the beginning of July, Israeli forces sealed off the home of Uday with steel boards and later destroyed a tent provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross for the displaced family to live in.
Israel stopped punitive house demolitions in 2009 but resumed the practice last November when Israeli forces razed the house of a Palestinian man that killed two Israelis by running over them with his car last October. Israeli rights group B'Tselem said in response that punitive house demolitions are "fundamentally wrong" and contravene "basic moral standards by punishing people for the misdeeds of others."
Watch dogs have widely criticized the Israeli policy saying that it contributes to a cycle of violence and merely inflicts collective punishment on family members.
Israel’s Supreme Court Decides to Expel the Children of the Martyr Ghassan Abu Jamal from the City of Jerusalem
The Israeli Supreme Court refused today on Wednesday the petition made by ‘Hamoked’ to allow the three children of the Martyr Ghassan Abu Jamal to remain in the city Jerusalem under their mothers custody Ms. “Nadia Abu Jamal”
The Court gave the Martyrs’ family until the beginning of October to leave to the West Bank.
Ma’wiya Abu Jamal –the martyr Ghassans’ brother – stated that the session was held today at the Israeli Supreme Court to discuss the petition made by “Hamoked”, demanding to allow the children of the martyr Ghassan whom are (Walid 6 years, Salma 4 years and Mohammad 3 years) to stay in their house between their family members in the city of Jerusalem and their village that they lived and grow up in with their mother, noting that the Supreme Court had approved a decision made by the Minister of Interior to expel “their mother Nadia Abu Jamal” from the city and erase her application for a Jerusalem Identification card in the end of last May.
Abu Jamal added that during the session today the importance of keeping the children with their mother and family in the city of Jerusalem was made clear, expelling them from the city means separating them from their relatives and friends, they will also lose their allowances such as National and Medical Health Insurance, they will also be denied from their school not forgetting their Psychological state they live in since the martyrdom of their Father.
Abu Jamal stated that after listening to the claims the Judge refused to allow Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal stay in the city of Jerusalem for any reason, in return and according to the law the custody over the children “when a father passes away goes directly to the mother” and accordingly the children must be expelled with their mother to the West Bank.
Ma’wiya Abu Jamal added: “during the session the Judge orally said that the custody over the children must be moved to their family so they can stay inside of Jerusalem, the family were surprised from this, they said: ‘how can we deny the children from their mother after the martyrdom of their father, how can we deny a mother from her children and she is the one that lost a husband, the house and a residency inside of Jerusalem with her family”.
Abu Jamal also added: “to be honest, the refusal of the mother to stay with her children means expelling the children from the city of Jerusalem and denying them their rights and benefits.
Ma’wiya added that “Hamoked Center” requested from the Supreme Court to allow the wife of the Martyr Ghassan to only remain in the village of Jabal Al Mukabir and give her a residency permit to “only live in the village”, however their request was also refused.
The Children Require Special Health care and medical follow ups
It is said that the occupying authorities denied the children of the martyr Ghassan from receiving treatment at Israeli Hospitals and medical centers noting that his elder son Walid 6 years has heart problems and the youngest Mohammad 3 years and a half suffers from nerve problems, both of them require special health care and medical follow ups, the authorities also denied them their national insurance allowances.
Cancelling and withdrawal of Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal’s application
Abu Jamal Family members stated that the application for residency was cancelled and withdrawn from Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal the day Ghassan became a martyr, hence she was informed of this during her interrogation in Al-Maskubyeh Detention Center in West Jerusalem, and accordingly “Hamoked” institution followed up the situation and a formal letter was sent to the Minister of Interior that issued the ruling, to the Ministry of Interior and to the Supreme Court”, their response was negative every time until the final ruling was issued before two months.
Ms. Nadia Abu Jamal is from the Eastern Sawahre and has a west bank identification card, in the year 2002 she married to the martyr Ghassan Abu Jamal and applied for a residency form in the begging and was rejected, in 2009 she received an approval for “residency and a permit” so she can live inside Jerusalem and travel between the city and the West Bank only through “the main checkpoints”, and this residency is renewed annually.
In his turn the lawyer Mohammad Mahmoud considered the Minister of Interior the decision maker on cancelling the residency application of the martyr Ghassan Abu Jamals’ wife; exiling her from Jerusalem is a serious precedent that came as a punishment for the family after the martyr executed the operation in an Israeli synagogue in the village of Deir Yaseen west Jerusalem at the end of last year.
The lawyer Mahmoud added that the Israeli Authorities insist on applying sanctions on Al Jamal family members despite that they have nothing to do with the operation that took place, they did not commit any security violations.
In defiance of international law, Israeli occupation authorities approved, on Thursday, 906 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.
It is reported, according to Days of Palestine, that the Israeli Supreme Court ruled several buildings in the Jewish-only Beit El settlement to be illegal and consequently ordered their demolition.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon approved the construction permits of the new settlement units.
The Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank will include, in its announcement, the approval of 296 units in Beit El, which rests several kilometres north of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government.
According to the Israeli online newspaper "Times of Israel", the new units will be built on a soon-to-be-evacuated Border Police base. The construction is compensation for Beit El agreeing to withdraw from five buildings it previously held on private Palestinian territory.
Other construction will take place in Ma’aleh Adumin, 112 new units, and Givat Zeev, 381 new units.
Both settlements are less than 10 kilometres from Jerusalem and considered within the major settlement blocs the Israeli occupation will seek to keep in any future agreement with the Palestinian.
It is reported, according to Days of Palestine, that the Israeli Supreme Court ruled several buildings in the Jewish-only Beit El settlement to be illegal and consequently ordered their demolition.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon approved the construction permits of the new settlement units.
The Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank will include, in its announcement, the approval of 296 units in Beit El, which rests several kilometres north of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government.
According to the Israeli online newspaper "Times of Israel", the new units will be built on a soon-to-be-evacuated Border Police base. The construction is compensation for Beit El agreeing to withdraw from five buildings it previously held on private Palestinian territory.
Other construction will take place in Ma’aleh Adumin, 112 new units, and Givat Zeev, 381 new units.
Both settlements are less than 10 kilometres from Jerusalem and considered within the major settlement blocs the Israeli occupation will seek to keep in any future agreement with the Palestinian.
22 july 2015
Two of the perpetrators get at least two years jail time and ordered to compensate Jerusalem school; 'It was worth it,' they said upon leaving the courtroom smiling.
The Jerusalem bilingual school arsonists, brothers Nahman and Shlomo Twito, were sentenced on Wednesday to two and a half and two years imprisonment, respectively.
The trial of the third accused, Yitzhak Gabai, is still ongoing because he did not confess and has yet to be convicted.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court gave Shlomo Twito eight months suspended sentence for three years following his release, and ordered him to pay NIS 10,000 in compensation to the bilingual school. His brother Nahman received ten months of suspended sentence, and ordered to pay the school NIS 15,000 in compensation.
The two left the courtroom smiling, singing songs in praise of God and claiming that "it was worth it." Security cameras captured the arson on tape.
The young men are members of the Lehava organization - a far right-wing group whose prime objective is to oppose assimilation of Jews, especially marriages between Jews and non-Jews.
After being caught, the three perpetrators said they vandalized and burned the school to protest the fact Jews and Arabs were attending it together and in order to raise their objection to intermarriage and assimilation to the public's attention.
The Twito brothers' mother told Ynet that "It’s disgusting that Jews and Arabs learn side by side. If we didn’t have a country governed by law, I would have done the same."
In his decision, Judge Zvi Segal referred to inciting posts the accused made on Facebook: "The freedom of expression is a fundamental principle in our country. As citizens of a democratic state, we must show the utmost of tolerance to expressions that are not easy to hear. However, freedom of expression cannot be a permission to commit acts of violence and terrorism. Those who incite to violence seek to harm and destroy the state's laws, public safety and public order."
Nihad Rashid, chairman of the bilingual school's steering committee said, "We respect the court's decision, but regret the leniency of the sentence. One of the defendants let out a dangerous statement according to which it was worth doing it. I hope this is not the message that will come out of the courthouse."
The school in Jerusalem's Pat neighborhood was set on fire at the end of November 2014. Firefighters called to the school found graffiti including "Death to Arabs", "Kahane was right" and statements condemning coexistence.
Hatem Matar, chairman of the school's PTA said immediately after the incident that contrary to previous incidents, this arson was perpetrated on school premises, and resulted in the first grade class being completely burned down.
"This arson was made by contemptible creatures. We will open the school as we normally do, we have already arranged for an alternative class. We will explain to the children what happened, we will come to school and strengthen them. This incident could only have beneficial effects, since every time they try to drag into these negative realms we just grow stronger," said Matar.
The young people arrested were active in an organization that fights assimilation, and they have a criminal record of nationalistically motivated acts. Two of them later signed a plea bargain with the Jerusalem district's prosecutor's office, and were convicted by the city's district court with an amended indictment that did not attribute to them offenses with a racist motive.
The arson at the Jerusalem school occurred at the height of tensions between the Arab and the Jewish communities on the background of the abduction and murder of the three teenagers, the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir and Operation Protective Edge.
The Jerusalem bilingual school arsonists, brothers Nahman and Shlomo Twito, were sentenced on Wednesday to two and a half and two years imprisonment, respectively.
The trial of the third accused, Yitzhak Gabai, is still ongoing because he did not confess and has yet to be convicted.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court gave Shlomo Twito eight months suspended sentence for three years following his release, and ordered him to pay NIS 10,000 in compensation to the bilingual school. His brother Nahman received ten months of suspended sentence, and ordered to pay the school NIS 15,000 in compensation.
The two left the courtroom smiling, singing songs in praise of God and claiming that "it was worth it." Security cameras captured the arson on tape.
The young men are members of the Lehava organization - a far right-wing group whose prime objective is to oppose assimilation of Jews, especially marriages between Jews and non-Jews.
After being caught, the three perpetrators said they vandalized and burned the school to protest the fact Jews and Arabs were attending it together and in order to raise their objection to intermarriage and assimilation to the public's attention.
The Twito brothers' mother told Ynet that "It’s disgusting that Jews and Arabs learn side by side. If we didn’t have a country governed by law, I would have done the same."
In his decision, Judge Zvi Segal referred to inciting posts the accused made on Facebook: "The freedom of expression is a fundamental principle in our country. As citizens of a democratic state, we must show the utmost of tolerance to expressions that are not easy to hear. However, freedom of expression cannot be a permission to commit acts of violence and terrorism. Those who incite to violence seek to harm and destroy the state's laws, public safety and public order."
Nihad Rashid, chairman of the bilingual school's steering committee said, "We respect the court's decision, but regret the leniency of the sentence. One of the defendants let out a dangerous statement according to which it was worth doing it. I hope this is not the message that will come out of the courthouse."
The school in Jerusalem's Pat neighborhood was set on fire at the end of November 2014. Firefighters called to the school found graffiti including "Death to Arabs", "Kahane was right" and statements condemning coexistence.
Hatem Matar, chairman of the school's PTA said immediately after the incident that contrary to previous incidents, this arson was perpetrated on school premises, and resulted in the first grade class being completely burned down.
"This arson was made by contemptible creatures. We will open the school as we normally do, we have already arranged for an alternative class. We will explain to the children what happened, we will come to school and strengthen them. This incident could only have beneficial effects, since every time they try to drag into these negative realms we just grow stronger," said Matar.
The young people arrested were active in an organization that fights assimilation, and they have a criminal record of nationalistically motivated acts. Two of them later signed a plea bargain with the Jerusalem district's prosecutor's office, and were convicted by the city's district court with an amended indictment that did not attribute to them offenses with a racist motive.
The arson at the Jerusalem school occurred at the height of tensions between the Arab and the Jewish communities on the background of the abduction and murder of the three teenagers, the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir and Operation Protective Edge.
Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, condemned the Israeli Knesset’s resolution on raising the penalty of stone throwing up to 20-year imprisonment.
Hamas’s Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, in a statement on Wednesday, “Endorsing the law reflects the criminal and racist reality of the Israeli occupation”. He asked the international community to bear its responsibility and put an end to Israeli racism.
He underlined that such resolutions do not break the steadfastness and determination of the Palestinian people to continue resistance of the Israeli occupation.
The Israeli Knesset endorsed on Tuesday the second and third readings of a law which states for at least 5-year imprisonment against stone throwers. 69 MKs approved it while 17 only refused the resolution.
The law comes on stages; a sentence of 5-10-year imprisonment is issued against those who are convicted even though they do not intend to cause any harm. However, a sentence of 20-year imprisonment is the ruling against those who intend harming Israelis.
However, the law says nothing about Jewish settlers who throw stones at Palestinians, attack them and damage their properties on Daily basis.
Hamas’s Spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, in a statement on Wednesday, “Endorsing the law reflects the criminal and racist reality of the Israeli occupation”. He asked the international community to bear its responsibility and put an end to Israeli racism.
He underlined that such resolutions do not break the steadfastness and determination of the Palestinian people to continue resistance of the Israeli occupation.
The Israeli Knesset endorsed on Tuesday the second and third readings of a law which states for at least 5-year imprisonment against stone throwers. 69 MKs approved it while 17 only refused the resolution.
The law comes on stages; a sentence of 5-10-year imprisonment is issued against those who are convicted even though they do not intend to cause any harm. However, a sentence of 20-year imprisonment is the ruling against those who intend harming Israelis.
However, the law says nothing about Jewish settlers who throw stones at Palestinians, attack them and damage their properties on Daily basis.
21 july 2015
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked
Ayelet Shaked seeks to organize status of West Bank settlements by establishing a committee that would provide legal solutions to issue of land ownership.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of Bayit Yehudi has recently begun the process of establishing a committee to organize the legal status of land plots in the West Bank. According to Shaked, the committee's establishment means residents of the West Bank will cease fearing the threat of land ownership disputes.
The coalition agreement between Bayit Yehudi and Likud includes a clause which calls for establishing a professional panel that would discuss proposals seeking to organize the status of buildings and neighborhoods within Jewish settlements in the West Bank with the relevant authorities.
According to the clause in the agreement, the panel must submit its findings to the government within 60 days of its establishment, which the government will then act to implement.
The committee is currently in the process of being established, and will be led by Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mendelblatt. The team will include Director General of the Agriculture Ministry Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, the legal adviser to the Ministry of Defense Ahaz Ben-Ari, and Dr. Hagai Vinitski.
The status of land plots in the West Bank is legally ambiguous. There have been several legal commentaries that seek to answer crucial questions like which lands are considered private, and what proof is necessary in order to establish private ownership of the land.
The state has been struggling to reach any conclusions on the matter for years, and many plots of land have remained without a clear legal status. The committee is meant to find solutions to organize the issue of settlement and to solve disputes over land ownership.
"There are many areas in Judea and Samaria, whose legal status has not been organized," Shaked said. "Its time to remove the legal ambiguity, and allow the residents of Judea and Samaria, many of whom live in settlements that where built by the Israeli government, to live without the persistent fear of challenges to their property ownership," she concluded.
New Israeli Panel Formed to Legalize West Bank Outposts
The Israeli justice ministry established a committee Tuesday that "legalize" the settlements set up on the West Bank lands.
Israeli cabinet secretary Avichai Mendelblit will head the committee, which had been called for in the coalition agreement between Naftali Bennett’s Habayit Hayehudi and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. It will submit its conclusions in 60 days, according to Al Ray.
The committee will include Director General of the Agriculture Ministry Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, the legal adviser to the Ministry of Defense Ahaz Ben-Ari, and Dr. Hagai Vinitski.
According to Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, the panel will discuss formulating an outline for regularizing the settlements outposts built in West Bank lands with the involvement of Israeli authorities.
Skaked said that the status of settlements plots in the West Bank is "legally ambiguous" and it is the time to clear the legal fog. She noted that the committee comprises land experts, jurists and directors general.
It is noteworthy that Israeli civil administration in the West Bank is set to grant permits for the construction of 906 new housing units on Thursday, which is the first approval in a year.
Haaretz paper reported that the permits are seen as being part of an attempt by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to appease settler leaders following a High Court ruling that two illegal structures in the settlement of Beit El must be demolished.
It approved the construction of 296 units inBeit El, to be built on the site of a Border Police base that will be evacuated. This construction is compensation for Beit El’s agreement to evacuate five buildings on the site known as Ulpana Hill, which had been built on private Palestinian land.
In other parts of the West Bank, 112 new units are to be built in Ma’ale Adumim on a 50-dunam site originally zoned for public buildings. The Ma’ale Adumim municipality gave up its claim to the area, giving the green light to the residential construction.
In Givat Zeev, 381 new units will be built in a 152-dunam area in the neighborhood known as Agan Ha’ayalot, and will be earmarked for an ultra-Orthodox population. In the settlement of Psagot, 24 buildings that are already standing will be retroactively approved. This is a complex built by the settlement association Amana, which is responsible for most of the illegal construction in the West Bank.
Ayelet Shaked seeks to organize status of West Bank settlements by establishing a committee that would provide legal solutions to issue of land ownership.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of Bayit Yehudi has recently begun the process of establishing a committee to organize the legal status of land plots in the West Bank. According to Shaked, the committee's establishment means residents of the West Bank will cease fearing the threat of land ownership disputes.
The coalition agreement between Bayit Yehudi and Likud includes a clause which calls for establishing a professional panel that would discuss proposals seeking to organize the status of buildings and neighborhoods within Jewish settlements in the West Bank with the relevant authorities.
According to the clause in the agreement, the panel must submit its findings to the government within 60 days of its establishment, which the government will then act to implement.
The committee is currently in the process of being established, and will be led by Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mendelblatt. The team will include Director General of the Agriculture Ministry Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, the legal adviser to the Ministry of Defense Ahaz Ben-Ari, and Dr. Hagai Vinitski.
The status of land plots in the West Bank is legally ambiguous. There have been several legal commentaries that seek to answer crucial questions like which lands are considered private, and what proof is necessary in order to establish private ownership of the land.
The state has been struggling to reach any conclusions on the matter for years, and many plots of land have remained without a clear legal status. The committee is meant to find solutions to organize the issue of settlement and to solve disputes over land ownership.
"There are many areas in Judea and Samaria, whose legal status has not been organized," Shaked said. "Its time to remove the legal ambiguity, and allow the residents of Judea and Samaria, many of whom live in settlements that where built by the Israeli government, to live without the persistent fear of challenges to their property ownership," she concluded.
New Israeli Panel Formed to Legalize West Bank Outposts
The Israeli justice ministry established a committee Tuesday that "legalize" the settlements set up on the West Bank lands.
Israeli cabinet secretary Avichai Mendelblit will head the committee, which had been called for in the coalition agreement between Naftali Bennett’s Habayit Hayehudi and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. It will submit its conclusions in 60 days, according to Al Ray.
The committee will include Director General of the Agriculture Ministry Shlomo Ben Eliyahu, the legal adviser to the Ministry of Defense Ahaz Ben-Ari, and Dr. Hagai Vinitski.
According to Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, the panel will discuss formulating an outline for regularizing the settlements outposts built in West Bank lands with the involvement of Israeli authorities.
Skaked said that the status of settlements plots in the West Bank is "legally ambiguous" and it is the time to clear the legal fog. She noted that the committee comprises land experts, jurists and directors general.
It is noteworthy that Israeli civil administration in the West Bank is set to grant permits for the construction of 906 new housing units on Thursday, which is the first approval in a year.
Haaretz paper reported that the permits are seen as being part of an attempt by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon to appease settler leaders following a High Court ruling that two illegal structures in the settlement of Beit El must be demolished.
It approved the construction of 296 units inBeit El, to be built on the site of a Border Police base that will be evacuated. This construction is compensation for Beit El’s agreement to evacuate five buildings on the site known as Ulpana Hill, which had been built on private Palestinian land.
In other parts of the West Bank, 112 new units are to be built in Ma’ale Adumim on a 50-dunam site originally zoned for public buildings. The Ma’ale Adumim municipality gave up its claim to the area, giving the green light to the residential construction.
In Givat Zeev, 381 new units will be built in a 152-dunam area in the neighborhood known as Agan Ha’ayalot, and will be earmarked for an ultra-Orthodox population. In the settlement of Psagot, 24 buildings that are already standing will be retroactively approved. This is a complex built by the settlement association Amana, which is responsible for most of the illegal construction in the West Bank.
Political bureau member of Hamas, Ezzet al-Resheq, dubbed on Monday an Israeli bill recently proposed by MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home) and seeking to redouble punishment for Palestinian ex-prisoners, a renewed manifestation of Israeli sadism and criminality.
The legislation seeks to redouble punishment for the Palestinian detainees released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal if they resume involvement in any anti-occupation activities.
Resheq said the proposed bill is a barefaced proof of the inherently chaotic state of affairs rocking the Israeli occupation and the Netanyahu government.
He said the release of Palestinian prisoners remains on the top of the resistance agenda.
Hebrew media outlets had claimed the Israeli occupation forces nabbed a Hamas cell accountable for West Bank shooting attacks.
The captive cell members admitted that they have been recruited by the ex-prisoner Ahmad al-Najar, deported to Jordan, the same sources further alleged.
The legislation seeks to redouble punishment for the Palestinian detainees released in the Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner swap deal if they resume involvement in any anti-occupation activities.
Resheq said the proposed bill is a barefaced proof of the inherently chaotic state of affairs rocking the Israeli occupation and the Netanyahu government.
He said the release of Palestinian prisoners remains on the top of the resistance agenda.
Hebrew media outlets had claimed the Israeli occupation forces nabbed a Hamas cell accountable for West Bank shooting attacks.
The captive cell members admitted that they have been recruited by the ex-prisoner Ahmad al-Najar, deported to Jordan, the same sources further alleged.
Amendment to existing law allows court to sentence rioter to up to 10 years in prison even without proof of intent to cause harm.
Legislation to impose harsher sentences on stone-throwers passed the final hurdle on Monday night in the Knesset after it passed the second and third readings, making it into law.
The bill, proposed by former justice minister Tzipi Livni and then promoted in this term by her successor Ayelet Shaked, passed with 69 in favor, including Zionist Union MKs, and 17 against. The new legislation is an amendment to the existing law, and serves to supplement and clarify it. Primarily, it defines stone-throwing at police with the intention of disturbing or preventing officers from doing their duty as an offense.
The amendment also splits the offense of stone-throwing to two different levels of severity. On the first level, stone-throwers could receive up to 10 years in prison without the prosecution having to prove intention to cause harm. On the second level, in cases where the prosecution can prove an intention to cause harm, stone-throwers could receive up to 20 years in prison.
Before the amendment's passing, the maximum punishment for throwing stones or other objects at vehicles or individuals on a road was 20 years, but it required the prosecution to prove the thrower intended to cause harm.
In many cases, this intention was hard to prove, creating a situation in which stone-throwers received relatively light sentences, which did not match the severity of the offense. "Justice was made today," Shaked said after the amendment's passing. "For years, terrorists got away from punishment and accountability. Leniency to terrorists stops today. A stone-thrower is a terrorist and only an appropriate punishment can serve as deterrence."
Tensions were running high at the Knesset during the discussion on the legislation.
Joint Arab List MK Jamal Zahalka said: "Imagine we brought both the stone-throwers and those who caused them to throw stones in front of a judge. Who would the judge put in prison? The one who demolished a house, expropriate the land, killed the brother? Or the boy who threw a stone? You are picking on people who are responding to greater wrongs. This is hypocrisy. Those who demolish homes get rewarded, but the boy whose anger is justified is being punished."
MK Ahmad Tibi added: "There is an order in the army that if soldiers arrive at a place where Jews are protesting and one of the protesters jumps the soldiers, they are not allowed to shoot him because he's Jewish. Under the same circumstances, when it's Arabs, they shoot to kill. 'Neutralize,' they call it. That is why a Palestinian is doomed even if he throws a non-lethal stone."
Things got heated further when Deputy Knesset Speaker Hilik Bar, who presided over the discussion, answered to Tibi: "It's all fine for you to criticize IDF soldiers, but just remember that it's thanks to them that you we can have this discussion here.
Just like they're protecting me, they're protecting you too in the jungle of the Middle East."
MKs from the Joint Arab List were enrage and the discussion was stopped for several minutes due to shouting from the MKs.
Legislation to impose harsher sentences on stone-throwers passed the final hurdle on Monday night in the Knesset after it passed the second and third readings, making it into law.
The bill, proposed by former justice minister Tzipi Livni and then promoted in this term by her successor Ayelet Shaked, passed with 69 in favor, including Zionist Union MKs, and 17 against. The new legislation is an amendment to the existing law, and serves to supplement and clarify it. Primarily, it defines stone-throwing at police with the intention of disturbing or preventing officers from doing their duty as an offense.
The amendment also splits the offense of stone-throwing to two different levels of severity. On the first level, stone-throwers could receive up to 10 years in prison without the prosecution having to prove intention to cause harm. On the second level, in cases where the prosecution can prove an intention to cause harm, stone-throwers could receive up to 20 years in prison.
Before the amendment's passing, the maximum punishment for throwing stones or other objects at vehicles or individuals on a road was 20 years, but it required the prosecution to prove the thrower intended to cause harm.
In many cases, this intention was hard to prove, creating a situation in which stone-throwers received relatively light sentences, which did not match the severity of the offense. "Justice was made today," Shaked said after the amendment's passing. "For years, terrorists got away from punishment and accountability. Leniency to terrorists stops today. A stone-thrower is a terrorist and only an appropriate punishment can serve as deterrence."
Tensions were running high at the Knesset during the discussion on the legislation.
Joint Arab List MK Jamal Zahalka said: "Imagine we brought both the stone-throwers and those who caused them to throw stones in front of a judge. Who would the judge put in prison? The one who demolished a house, expropriate the land, killed the brother? Or the boy who threw a stone? You are picking on people who are responding to greater wrongs. This is hypocrisy. Those who demolish homes get rewarded, but the boy whose anger is justified is being punished."
MK Ahmad Tibi added: "There is an order in the army that if soldiers arrive at a place where Jews are protesting and one of the protesters jumps the soldiers, they are not allowed to shoot him because he's Jewish. Under the same circumstances, when it's Arabs, they shoot to kill. 'Neutralize,' they call it. That is why a Palestinian is doomed even if he throws a non-lethal stone."
Things got heated further when Deputy Knesset Speaker Hilik Bar, who presided over the discussion, answered to Tibi: "It's all fine for you to criticize IDF soldiers, but just remember that it's thanks to them that you we can have this discussion here.
Just like they're protecting me, they're protecting you too in the jungle of the Middle East."
MKs from the Joint Arab List were enrage and the discussion was stopped for several minutes due to shouting from the MKs.
