30 jan 2017
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday evening kidnapped a Palestinian driver near Nablus and cracked down on Palestinian civilians at newly-pitched checkpoints across Salfit.
A PIC news correspondent said 40-year-old taxi driver Waleed Ahmad al-Saadi was kidnapped by the IOF as he was driving near the northern West Bank province of Nablus.
At the same time, the IOF closed off the central West Bank province of Salfit with flying checkpoints, where Palestinian vehicles and passengers were subjected to intensive inspection.
A series of checkpoints was set up across the main entrances to Salfit, blocking Palestinians’ access out of and into the area.
A PIC news correspondent said 40-year-old taxi driver Waleed Ahmad al-Saadi was kidnapped by the IOF as he was driving near the northern West Bank province of Nablus.
At the same time, the IOF closed off the central West Bank province of Salfit with flying checkpoints, where Palestinian vehicles and passengers were subjected to intensive inspection.
A series of checkpoints was set up across the main entrances to Salfit, blocking Palestinians’ access out of and into the area.
The Israeli District Court issued on Monday a life sentence and 20 additional years against the 37-year-old Palestinian prisoner Khaled Qutteina, a resident of Enata town to the northeast of occupied Jerusalem, on charges of carrying out a car-ramming attack which killed an Israeli settler and injured another, according to the Hebrew website 0404.
The Israeli court also imposed a 258 thousand-shekel (68 thousand dollars) fine on prisoner Qutteina to be paid for the family of the deceased settler and another similar fine for the family of the injured one.
Qutteina carried out a car-ramming attack on 15th April 2015 in occupied Jerusalem which led to killing an Israeli settler and injuring another.
Dozens of Palestinian youths from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem were accused of carrying out stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories since the outbreak of the Jerusalem Intifada in early October 2015, and were sentenced to long-term imprisonments.
The Israeli court also imposed a 258 thousand-shekel (68 thousand dollars) fine on prisoner Qutteina to be paid for the family of the deceased settler and another similar fine for the family of the injured one.
Qutteina carried out a car-ramming attack on 15th April 2015 in occupied Jerusalem which led to killing an Israeli settler and injuring another.
Dozens of Palestinian youths from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem were accused of carrying out stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories since the outbreak of the Jerusalem Intifada in early October 2015, and were sentenced to long-term imprisonments.
Several Israeli military vehicles invaded, on Monday morning, the town of al-Ram, north of occupied East Jerusalem, and abducted two Palestinians.
The soldiers broke into homes, searched them and interrogated several Palestinians before abducting two young men.
The abducted Palestinians have been identified as Mohammad ‘Aabed and Rafat al-Hathaleen; they were both moved to an interrogation center.
The soldiers broke into homes, searched them and interrogated several Palestinians before abducting two young men.
The abducted Palestinians have been identified as Mohammad ‘Aabed and Rafat al-Hathaleen; they were both moved to an interrogation center.
Dozens of Israeli army vehicles invaded, on Monday at dawn, Hebron city, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, in addition to Doura and Beit Ummar towns, searched homes and abducted five Palestinians.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded Doura town, south of Hebron, violently searched homes and abducted three Palestinians, identified as Monir Samir Abu Sharar, Maher Mazen Abu ‘Atwan and Khalil Amro.
The PPS added that the soldiers also searched homes in Hebron city, interrogated many Palestinians, and abducted Salama Sa’afeen.
In Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, the soldiers invaded Bahar and al-Bayyada neighborhoods, searched many homes and abducted a former political prisoner, identified as Mahmoud Haitham Sleibi, 26, who was previously imprisoned by Israel for three years.
Also in Beit Ummar, the soldiers summoned Yousef Bader Ekhlayyel, 37, for interrogation in Etzion military base and security center, north of Hebron.
The soldiers also invaded many neighborhoods in Hebron city, and installed roadblocks, especially on roads leading to the towns of Sa’ir and Halhoul, in addition to Hebron’s northern entrance, before stopping and searching dozens of cars, while inspecting the ID cards of the passengers and pedestrians.
In related news, a speeding Israeli military jeep skidded, on the Hebron-Jerusalem Road, and crushed a Palestinian car, owned by Hasan Ali Abu Ayyash, damaging it, and causing a huge traffic jam.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said the soldiers invaded Doura town, south of Hebron, violently searched homes and abducted three Palestinians, identified as Monir Samir Abu Sharar, Maher Mazen Abu ‘Atwan and Khalil Amro.
The PPS added that the soldiers also searched homes in Hebron city, interrogated many Palestinians, and abducted Salama Sa’afeen.
In Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, the soldiers invaded Bahar and al-Bayyada neighborhoods, searched many homes and abducted a former political prisoner, identified as Mahmoud Haitham Sleibi, 26, who was previously imprisoned by Israel for three years.
Also in Beit Ummar, the soldiers summoned Yousef Bader Ekhlayyel, 37, for interrogation in Etzion military base and security center, north of Hebron.
The soldiers also invaded many neighborhoods in Hebron city, and installed roadblocks, especially on roads leading to the towns of Sa’ir and Halhoul, in addition to Hebron’s northern entrance, before stopping and searching dozens of cars, while inspecting the ID cards of the passengers and pedestrians.
In related news, a speeding Israeli military jeep skidded, on the Hebron-Jerusalem Road, and crushed a Palestinian car, owned by Hasan Ali Abu Ayyash, damaging it, and causing a huge traffic jam.
Israeli prosecution submitted to Israeli Central Court Monday an indictment against a Palestinian resident of Haifa city within the Green Line.
According to the indictment, Mohammed Shinawi, 21, carried out three separate anti-occupation attacks on January 3, 2017. An Israeli man was killed while another was injured during the alleged shooting attacks.
The Shin Bet said that Shinawi allegedly targeted Israelis using a home-made Carl Gustav-style rifle "Carlo."
Two other Palestinian youths were also charged with being accessory after the fact.
According to the indictment, Mohammed Shinawi, 21, carried out three separate anti-occupation attacks on January 3, 2017. An Israeli man was killed while another was injured during the alleged shooting attacks.
The Shin Bet said that Shinawi allegedly targeted Israelis using a home-made Carl Gustav-style rifle "Carlo."
Two other Palestinian youths were also charged with being accessory after the fact.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Sunday evening a Palestinian young man for having a knife in his possession west of Ramallah.
0404 Hebrew website claimed that a Palestinian young man was arrested after finding a knife in his possession near Talmon settlement illegally built west of Ramallah.
The detainee was taken for investigation for allegedly planning a stabbing attack, the website added.
Earlier Sunday, two Palestinian teens were arrested near Karni Shomron settlement in Nablus city over an anti-occupation alleged stabbing attempt.
0404 Hebrew website claimed that a Palestinian young man was arrested after finding a knife in his possession near Talmon settlement illegally built west of Ramallah.
The detainee was taken for investigation for allegedly planning a stabbing attack, the website added.
Earlier Sunday, two Palestinian teens were arrested near Karni Shomron settlement in Nablus city over an anti-occupation alleged stabbing attempt.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday stormed al-Hadidiya hamlet in the Northern Jordan Valley in the West Bank, brutalized its residents and set up ambushes on roads leading to it.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that a large number of Israeli soldiers spread throughout the hamlet and the lands around it.
They added that the troops searched agricultural structures belonging to farmer Abdul-Rahim Bisharat and arrested his sons, Sakher and Muaad.
The sources also said that soldiers stormed other nearby hamlets in Wadi al-Maleh area, interrogated their residents and checked their IDs.
The Palestinian Bedouin hamlets in Wadi al-Maleh are exposed to repeated raids and assaults by the Israeli army with the aim of forcing its local residents to leave their areas.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that a large number of Israeli soldiers spread throughout the hamlet and the lands around it.
They added that the troops searched agricultural structures belonging to farmer Abdul-Rahim Bisharat and arrested his sons, Sakher and Muaad.
The sources also said that soldiers stormed other nearby hamlets in Wadi al-Maleh area, interrogated their residents and checked their IDs.
The Palestinian Bedouin hamlets in Wadi al-Maleh are exposed to repeated raids and assaults by the Israeli army with the aim of forcing its local residents to leave their areas.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Monday kidnapped a number of Palestinian civilians and blew up a Palestinian flagstaff in the West Bank.
A PIC news correspondent said Israeli soldiers rolled into the northern occupied West Bank province of Jenin and stopped four Palestinian youths on the Nazareth Road, to the north, before they subjected them to exhaustive questioning for over a couple of hours. The youths were released following an intensive search of their private car.
The IOF soldiers also stormed Palestinian commercial structures on the Nazareth Road and seized surveillance cameras.
Four makeshift checkpoints were pitched by the Israeli army on the Nazareth Road.
At the same time, an undercover Israeli unit and infantry troops broke into Jenin refugee camp at around 3 a.m. and wreaked havoc on civilian homes. Snipers were also spotted on the rooftops of Palestinian homes.
The assault culminated in the abduction of a Palestinian youth from Jenin.
Overnight, 33-year-old Mohamed Ziyad Hassanein, from the Balata refugee camp, was kidnapped by the IOF from the al-Saraya cake shop in Nablus’s southern town of Hawara.
Surveillance cameras were further seized from the shop.
Hassanein had been held for over four years in Israeli jails.
Meanwhile, the occupation troops blew up a Palestinian flagpole in Sebastiya’s archaeological site, to the north of Nablus province.
Speaking to PIC, youth activist Momen Azem said sounds of heavy blasts were detected after an Israeli patrol stormed Sebastiya at 1 a.m. and placed explosives at the bottom of the flagmast in the Israeli-occupied Area C.
Israeli soldiers have often lowered Palestinian flags raised in the area, sparking violent clashes with Palestinian protesters.
The locals raised concerns over growing Israeli attempts to hold sway over Sebastiya’s archaeological sites in favor of illegal settlement.
The IOF soldiers further stormed the southern West Bank province of al-Khalil and kidnapped two Palestinian youths before they summoned others to questioning and rummaged into civilian homes.
A PIC news correspondent said Israeli soldiers rolled into the northern occupied West Bank province of Jenin and stopped four Palestinian youths on the Nazareth Road, to the north, before they subjected them to exhaustive questioning for over a couple of hours. The youths were released following an intensive search of their private car.
The IOF soldiers also stormed Palestinian commercial structures on the Nazareth Road and seized surveillance cameras.
Four makeshift checkpoints were pitched by the Israeli army on the Nazareth Road.
At the same time, an undercover Israeli unit and infantry troops broke into Jenin refugee camp at around 3 a.m. and wreaked havoc on civilian homes. Snipers were also spotted on the rooftops of Palestinian homes.
The assault culminated in the abduction of a Palestinian youth from Jenin.
Overnight, 33-year-old Mohamed Ziyad Hassanein, from the Balata refugee camp, was kidnapped by the IOF from the al-Saraya cake shop in Nablus’s southern town of Hawara.
Surveillance cameras were further seized from the shop.
Hassanein had been held for over four years in Israeli jails.
Meanwhile, the occupation troops blew up a Palestinian flagpole in Sebastiya’s archaeological site, to the north of Nablus province.
Speaking to PIC, youth activist Momen Azem said sounds of heavy blasts were detected after an Israeli patrol stormed Sebastiya at 1 a.m. and placed explosives at the bottom of the flagmast in the Israeli-occupied Area C.
Israeli soldiers have often lowered Palestinian flags raised in the area, sparking violent clashes with Palestinian protesters.
The locals raised concerns over growing Israeli attempts to hold sway over Sebastiya’s archaeological sites in favor of illegal settlement.
The IOF soldiers further stormed the southern West Bank province of al-Khalil and kidnapped two Palestinian youths before they summoned others to questioning and rummaged into civilian homes.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday evening kidnapped two Palestinian young men during their presence near the border fence south of the Gaza Strip.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers at a military post east of Rafah fired warning shots and flares after they spotted the young men.
The two young men were rounded up and seen being taken away by soldiers. Their identities are still unknown.
However, the Hebrew news website Walla said that border soldiers near Gaza arrested one Palestinian young man and took him in for interrogation.
According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers at a military post east of Rafah fired warning shots and flares after they spotted the young men.
The two young men were rounded up and seen being taken away by soldiers. Their identities are still unknown.
However, the Hebrew news website Walla said that border soldiers near Gaza arrested one Palestinian young man and took him in for interrogation.
Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour testified before the Magistrate’s Court in Nazareth on Thursday, 26 January; Dareen’s saga has lasted for nearly a year and a half as she faces prosecution and imprisonment for writing a poem, “Resist my people, resist them,” and posting it on YouTube.
Arrested from her family home in the village of Reineh on 11 October 2015, Tatour, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was imprisoned for several months in Kishon, Damon and HaSharon prisons on allegations of “incitement,” and she was then transferred to house arrest.
For several more more months, she was confined to an apartment in the Tel Aviv area; due to the restrictions of her house arrest, her brother and sister-in-law had to leave work and school to permanently accompany her; she was finally transferred to house arrest in her home village of Reineh but remains subject to severe restrictions and must wear an electronic ankle bracelet at all times. She is prohibited from using the internet.
Hundreds of internationally renowned writers and artists, including Edwidge Danticat, Ahdaf Soueif, Alice Walker, Eve Ensler, Ariel Dorfman, Russell Banks and Barbara Hammer, have called for Tatour’s release and the dropping of charges against her, a call endorsed by PEN, the international freedom of expression association.
Despite the widespread support for Tatour and the almost farcical nature of the charges against her, she faces up to eight years in prison. The arrest and prosecution of Tatour also comes in the context of a long history of occupation persecution of Palestinian writers and artists, including such former prisoners as Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim and Tawfiq Zayyad, like Tatour, Palestinians from occupied Palestine ’48.
Despite the lengthy proceedings stretching over four months, Tatour’s case will continue for several more hearings. There will be three more upcoming hearings in the case before a judgment is issued, and those sessions will convene on 19 March, 28 March and 5 April.
Learn more about the case at the Free Dareen Tatour facebook.
07/22/16 Lieberman: Mahmoud Darwish Poem Comparable to ‘Mein Kampf’
Arrested from her family home in the village of Reineh on 11 October 2015, Tatour, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was imprisoned for several months in Kishon, Damon and HaSharon prisons on allegations of “incitement,” and she was then transferred to house arrest.
For several more more months, she was confined to an apartment in the Tel Aviv area; due to the restrictions of her house arrest, her brother and sister-in-law had to leave work and school to permanently accompany her; she was finally transferred to house arrest in her home village of Reineh but remains subject to severe restrictions and must wear an electronic ankle bracelet at all times. She is prohibited from using the internet.
Hundreds of internationally renowned writers and artists, including Edwidge Danticat, Ahdaf Soueif, Alice Walker, Eve Ensler, Ariel Dorfman, Russell Banks and Barbara Hammer, have called for Tatour’s release and the dropping of charges against her, a call endorsed by PEN, the international freedom of expression association.
Despite the widespread support for Tatour and the almost farcical nature of the charges against her, she faces up to eight years in prison. The arrest and prosecution of Tatour also comes in the context of a long history of occupation persecution of Palestinian writers and artists, including such former prisoners as Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim and Tawfiq Zayyad, like Tatour, Palestinians from occupied Palestine ’48.
Despite the lengthy proceedings stretching over four months, Tatour’s case will continue for several more hearings. There will be three more upcoming hearings in the case before a judgment is issued, and those sessions will convene on 19 March, 28 March and 5 April.
Learn more about the case at the Free Dareen Tatour facebook.
07/22/16 Lieberman: Mahmoud Darwish Poem Comparable to ‘Mein Kampf’
29 jan 2017
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday evening arrested the father of the slain Palestinian youth Muhannad al-Halaby after they summoned him to questioning in the Ofer military prison, to the west of Ramallah province.
A PIC news correspondent said the Israeli intelligence reached out to al-Halaby’s family and notified them of the detention of Muhannad’s father, Shafiq, for four days on unjustified grounds.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli intelligence spoke to Muhannad’s father by phone and summoned him to questioning.
The father is expected to be transferred to al-Mascoubiya detention center in Occupied Jerusalem pending further interrogation.
Muhannad’s brother, Mohamed, has also been held in the Israeli Ofer jail since September 5, 2016.
Muhannad’s 42-year-old mother, Suheer, was also kidnapped on October 13, 2016, after she had been subjected to intensive questioning in the Israeli Benjamin detention center, near Occupied Jerusalem.
Muhannad al-Halaby was killed on October 3, 2015, after he carried out an anti-occupation stabbing attack that killed two Israeli settlers in Jerusalem’s Old City.
On January 9, 2016, the Israeli army knocked down al-Halaby’s family home in Ramallah’s town of Serda.
Muhannad al-Halaby’s body had been held by the Israeli occupation authorities for six days before it was released on October 9, 2015, at the Beit Sira military checkpoint in western Ramallah province.
A PIC news correspondent said the Israeli intelligence reached out to al-Halaby’s family and notified them of the detention of Muhannad’s father, Shafiq, for four days on unjustified grounds.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli intelligence spoke to Muhannad’s father by phone and summoned him to questioning.
The father is expected to be transferred to al-Mascoubiya detention center in Occupied Jerusalem pending further interrogation.
Muhannad’s brother, Mohamed, has also been held in the Israeli Ofer jail since September 5, 2016.
Muhannad’s 42-year-old mother, Suheer, was also kidnapped on October 13, 2016, after she had been subjected to intensive questioning in the Israeli Benjamin detention center, near Occupied Jerusalem.
Muhannad al-Halaby was killed on October 3, 2015, after he carried out an anti-occupation stabbing attack that killed two Israeli settlers in Jerusalem’s Old City.
On January 9, 2016, the Israeli army knocked down al-Halaby’s family home in Ramallah’s town of Serda.
Muhannad al-Halaby’s body had been held by the Israeli occupation authorities for six days before it was released on October 9, 2015, at the Beit Sira military checkpoint in western Ramallah province.
Israeli police announced on Sunday that the Palestinian captive Samer Beny Udeh, 32, escaped from the Emek Hospital in Afula after being taken for a medical checkup.
The Palestinian prisoner was taken to the hospital by Israeli soldiers, and escaped after his handcuffs were taken off him. Israeli police started large-scale searching operations looking for him and published his photo along with his description.
The PIC reporter said that the detainee is from Tamun town of the Tubas province in the northern occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian prisoner was taken to the hospital by Israeli soldiers, and escaped after his handcuffs were taken off him. Israeli police started large-scale searching operations looking for him and published his photo along with his description.
The PIC reporter said that the detainee is from Tamun town of the Tubas province in the northern occupied West Bank.
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested on Sunday two Palestinian teens near Karni Shomron settlement which is close to Nablus city over an anti-occupation alleged stabbing attempt.
Israeli reports revealed that Jewish settlers stopped two Palestinian school students, a girl and a boy, on suspicion of attempting to carry out a stabbing attack.
Photos published by Israeli media sources show Jewish settlers directing their guns at both minors. They forced them to wait until the IOF soldiers reached the place and rounded them up.
Rights group identifies names of 2 minors kidnapped by Israeli forces
A human rights group on Sunday revealed the names and ages of two Palestinian children kidnapped by the Israeli occupation army near the West Bank province of Qalqilya at noontime.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) identified the arrestees as 15-year-old Marah Luay Je’idi, a native of Qalqilya, and 16-year-old Salem Hani Abu Hamada, a native of Nablus province.
The two minors are being reportedly interrogated at the Israeli Ariel detention center.
Israeli reports revealed that Jewish settlers stopped two Palestinian school students, a girl and a boy, on suspicion of attempting to carry out a stabbing attack.
Photos published by Israeli media sources show Jewish settlers directing their guns at both minors. They forced them to wait until the IOF soldiers reached the place and rounded them up.
Rights group identifies names of 2 minors kidnapped by Israeli forces
A human rights group on Sunday revealed the names and ages of two Palestinian children kidnapped by the Israeli occupation army near the West Bank province of Qalqilya at noontime.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) identified the arrestees as 15-year-old Marah Luay Je’idi, a native of Qalqilya, and 16-year-old Salem Hani Abu Hamada, a native of Nablus province.
The two minors are being reportedly interrogated at the Israeli Ariel detention center.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Sunday carried out violent raids on homes, kidnapped three Palestinian young men, and handed others summonses for interrogation during campaigns in different West Bank areas.
According to the army radio, one Palestinian young man was arrested in Beitunia town, west of Ramallah, and two others in Battir town, west of Bethlehem.
The army claimed the three young men were arrested for their involvement in activities against Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops stormed areas in the vicinity of Bethlehem and handed several young men summonses for interrogation from the Shin Bet, according to Quds Press.
Another military force also stormed anew Awarta town, east of Nablus, and embarked on interrogating citizens inside their homes and gathering personal information about them, including their phone numbers.
In al-Khalil, a large number of soldiers aboard military vehicles stormed at dawn Yatta town in the south, blocked its entrances, and ransacked homes, workshops and commercial stores.
The Israeli army claimed its soldiers were searching for weapons and money during the campaign in Yatta town.
According to the army radio, one Palestinian young man was arrested in Beitunia town, west of Ramallah, and two others in Battir town, west of Bethlehem.
The army claimed the three young men were arrested for their involvement in activities against Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Meanwhile, Israeli troops stormed areas in the vicinity of Bethlehem and handed several young men summonses for interrogation from the Shin Bet, according to Quds Press.
Another military force also stormed anew Awarta town, east of Nablus, and embarked on interrogating citizens inside their homes and gathering personal information about them, including their phone numbers.
In al-Khalil, a large number of soldiers aboard military vehicles stormed at dawn Yatta town in the south, blocked its entrances, and ransacked homes, workshops and commercial stores.
The Israeli army claimed its soldiers were searching for weapons and money during the campaign in Yatta town.
28 jan 2017
The Palestinian female prisoner Randa Shahatit, from al-Khalil, continued her hunger strike for the sixth day Saturday in protest against her continued isolation.
Rights sources affirmed that Shahatit launched an open hunger strike on January 23, after Israeli Prison Service (IPS) refused to meet her demand to end her isolation.
Family sources told Quds Press that Israeli Ofer court has recently refused an appeal submitted by the prisoner to move her to Hasharon prison for women.
However, the court extended her isolation pushing her to declare an open hunger strike.
Shahatit, a mother of three children, was re-arrested on January 20, 2017 after being released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal for allegedly violating the deal terms.
Following her arrest, the Israeli prosecution asked court to re-impose her previous four and a half years sentence, of which she served three years.
Shahatit spent more than six years behind Israeli bars in two separate arrests.
50 Palestinian women, including 13 minors, are currently held in Israeli jails amid very difficult detention conditions.
Rights sources affirmed that Shahatit launched an open hunger strike on January 23, after Israeli Prison Service (IPS) refused to meet her demand to end her isolation.
Family sources told Quds Press that Israeli Ofer court has recently refused an appeal submitted by the prisoner to move her to Hasharon prison for women.
However, the court extended her isolation pushing her to declare an open hunger strike.
Shahatit, a mother of three children, was re-arrested on January 20, 2017 after being released during Wafa al-Ahrar swap deal for allegedly violating the deal terms.
Following her arrest, the Israeli prosecution asked court to re-impose her previous four and a half years sentence, of which she served three years.
Shahatit spent more than six years behind Israeli bars in two separate arrests.
50 Palestinian women, including 13 minors, are currently held in Israeli jails amid very difficult detention conditions.