28 july 2013
The 54-year old Zaki Sabbah is serving a 10-year prison sentence in “Rimon” prison because of accumulated fines the occupation’s municipality imposed on him under the pretext of selling pretzels without a permit.
Haaretz newspaper reported that the Local Affair court opened 254 files against the pretzel seller since 2005, which included fines from the municipality for selling pretzels without a permit where the total amount of the fines was 731,910.21 NIS and failure to pay each fine resulted in few days of imprisonment where the total number of days is 3554.
The newspaper explained that most of the legal discussions and deliberations were in the absence of the pretzel seller who could not reach a settlement to pay the huge amount of money. The files were all combined in one big file and the court sentenced him for 10 years; Zaki Sabbah was arrested shortly after the court’s decision and then managed to contact his lawyer “Amir Schneider” four days after his arrest. The lawyer submitted a special request to the court, and the municipality suggested to release him if he pays 10% of the total amount which was 80 thousand NIS, but the judge ordered to release him if he pays 8 thousand NIS; the pretzel seller failed to come up with the required amount to remain behind the walls of his dark cell.
Haaretz newspaper reported that the Local Affair court opened 254 files against the pretzel seller since 2005, which included fines from the municipality for selling pretzels without a permit where the total amount of the fines was 731,910.21 NIS and failure to pay each fine resulted in few days of imprisonment where the total number of days is 3554.
The newspaper explained that most of the legal discussions and deliberations were in the absence of the pretzel seller who could not reach a settlement to pay the huge amount of money. The files were all combined in one big file and the court sentenced him for 10 years; Zaki Sabbah was arrested shortly after the court’s decision and then managed to contact his lawyer “Amir Schneider” four days after his arrest. The lawyer submitted a special request to the court, and the municipality suggested to release him if he pays 10% of the total amount which was 80 thousand NIS, but the judge ordered to release him if he pays 8 thousand NIS; the pretzel seller failed to come up with the required amount to remain behind the walls of his dark cell.
Israeli military forces at dawn Sunday stormed the town of Arura, north of Ramallah, and raided citizens' houses under the pretext of "searching for wanted people." Local sources in Arura reported that the soldiers stormed and searched the houses of citizens Samir Aruri and Abdel-Rahman Khasib, and checked the identities of the inhabitants.
They said that the occupation detained journalist and activist Ahmed Aruri and Hamza Khasib, and transferred them to an unknown destination.
According to statistics issued for Umaamah site, the occupation arrested during the last week more than 40 people from several cities in the West Bank.
A report by Hamas pointed out that the detainees include five former political detainees in PA's prisons, three of them had been earlier held in Israeli jails and have been arrested by the Israeli forces shortly after their release from the Authority's prisons.
They said that the occupation detained journalist and activist Ahmed Aruri and Hamza Khasib, and transferred them to an unknown destination.
According to statistics issued for Umaamah site, the occupation arrested during the last week more than 40 people from several cities in the West Bank.
A report by Hamas pointed out that the detainees include five former political detainees in PA's prisons, three of them had been earlier held in Israeli jails and have been arrested by the Israeli forces shortly after their release from the Authority's prisons.
Karim Younis
The Palestinian Prisoners Society on Sunday published a list of detainees expected to be freed as part of a release deal by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel will free 104 Palestinian prisoners to coincide with the resumption of long-stalled peace talks brokered by the United States. The Israeli PM will seek cabinet approval for the release on Sunday.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, said earlier that there would be no talks unless all 104 prisoners returned to their homes.
The list details each prisoner's name, year of arrest, and place of origin.
1. Karim Yousef Fadel Younis - 1983 - Israel
2. Maher Abed al-Latif Younis - 1983 - Israel
3. Issa Nemr Jebril Abed Rabu - 1984 - Bethlehem
4. Ahmad Farid Mohammad Shihada - 1985 - Ramallah
5. Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Naser - 1985 - Ramallah
6. Rafi Farhud Mohammad Karaja - 1985 - Ramallah
7. Mustafa Amer Mohammad Ghniemat - 1985 - Hebron
8. Ziyad Mahmud Mohammad Ghniemat - 1985 - Hebron
9. Othman Abdullah Mahmud Bani Hassan - 1985 - Jenin
10. Haza Mohammad Haza Saedi - 1985 - Jenin
11. Mohammad Ahmad Abed al-Hamid al-Tus - 1985 - Hebron
12. Fayez Mtawe Hamad al-Khur - 1985 - Gaza
13. Mohammad Musbah Khalil Ashur - 1986 - Jerusalem
14. Ibrahim Nayef Hamdan Abu Mukh - 1986 - Israel
15. Rushdi Hamdan Mohammad Abu Mukh - 1986 - Israel
16. Walid Nemr Asaad Daqa - 1986 - Israel
17. Ibrahim Abed al-Razaq Ahmad Bayadsa - 1986 - Israel
18. Ahmad Ali Hussein Abu Jaber - 1986 - Israel
19. Afu Musbah Nufal Shuqaier - 1986 - Salfit
20. Samir Ibrahim Mahmud Abu Nema - 1986 - Jerusalem
21. Mohammad Adel Hassan Dawod - 1987 - Qalqiliya
22. Yassin Mohammad Yassin Abu Khdeir - 1987 - Jerusalem
23. Bashir Abdullah Kamel al-Khatib - 1988 - Israel
24. Mahmud Othman Ibrahim Jabarin - 1988 - Israel
25. Jum’a Ibrahim Juma Adam - 1988 - Ramallah
26. Mahmud Salim Suliman Abu Khraesh - Jericho
27. Samir Saleh Taha Sarsawi - 1988 - Israel
28. Bilal Ahmad Yousef Abu Hussein - 1988 - Jerusalem
29. Ibrahim Lutfi Helmi Taqtouq - 1989 - Nablus
30. Samir Nayef Abed al-Ghafar al-Nanish - 1989 - Nablus
31. Bilal Ibrahim Mustafa Damra - 1989 - Salfit
32. Mustafa Othman Omar al-Hajj - 1989 - Salfit
33. Nehad Yousef Radwan Jundiya - 1989 -Gaza
34. Mohamad Mahmud Awad Hamdiya -1989 - Gaza
35. Raed Mohammad Sharif al-Sadi - 1989 - Jenin
36. Najeh Mohammad Badwi Muqbel -1990 - Hebron
37. Mohamad Jaber Yousef Nashbat -1990 - Gaza
38. Ahmad Saed Mohammad al-Damouni - 1990 - Gaza
39. Mohammad Abed al-Majid Sawalha - 1990 - Nablus
40. Hussni Fargh Ahmad Sawalha - 1990 - Nablus
41. Mohammad Ahmad Mahmud al-Sabagh - 1991 - Jenin
42. Khalid Dawod Ahmad Rizeq - 1991 - Bethlehem
43. Mukhles Sedqi Abed al-Razaq Sawafta - 1991 - Jenin
44. Faris Ahmad Mohammad Barud - 1991 - Gaza
45. Khalid Mohammad Ahmad Asakra - 1991 - Bethlehem
46. Faysal Mustafa Mahmud Abu al-Rub - 1991 - Jenin
47. Jamal Khalid Ibrahim Abu Mihsen - 1991 - Tubas
48. Abed al-Rahman Yousef Mahmud al-Hajj - 1992 - Qalqiliya
49. Mahmud Atta Mahmud Moamar - 1992 - Bethlehem
50. Ibrahim Hassan Mahmud Ighbariya - 1992 - Israel
51. Mohammad Saeed Hassan Ighbariya - 1992 - Israel
52. Yahya Mustafa Mohammad Ighbariya -1992 - Israel
53. Mohammad Tawfiq Suliman Jabarin - 1992 - Israel
54. Noman Yousef Ahmad Shalabi - 1992 - Jenin
55. Adnan Mohammad Yousef al-Afandi - 1992 - Bethlehem
56. Sharif Hassan Atiq Abu Dhaileh - 1992 - Nablus
57. Moayad Salim Mahmoud Hijjeh - 1992 - Nablus
58. Faraj Saleh Abdullah Al-Rimahi - 1992 - Gaza
59. Asrar Mustafa Kalib Samrine - 1992 - Al-Bireh
60. Mousa Izzat Mousa Qaraan - 1992 - Al-Bireh
61. Diyaa Zakariya Shaker al-Falouji - 1992 - Gaza
62. Osama Zakariya Wadee Abu Hinani - 1992 - Jenin
63. Mohammad Yousef Sulaiman Tarkaman - 1992 - Jenin
64. Ahmad Jumaa Mustafa Khalaf - 1992 - Jerusalem
65. Mohammad Fawzi Salameh Filna - 1992 - Ramallah
66. Jameel Abdul Wahab Jamal Al-Natsheh - 1992 - Hebron
67. Nasser Hannas Abdul Hameed Abu Srour - 1993 - Bethlehem
68. Mahmoud Jameel Hassan Abu Srour - 1993 - Bethlehem
69. Taher Mohammad Taher Zyoud - 1993 - Jenin
70. Ahmad Saed Qassem Abdul Aziz - 1993 - Jenin
71. Osama Khaled Kamel Silawi - 1993 - Jenin
72. Yousef Abdul Hameed Irshid - 1993 - Jenin
73. Atef Izzat Shaaban Shaath - 1993 - Gaza
74. Mohammad Noufel Mohammad Daajneh - 1993 - Ramallah
75. Mohammad Mustaa Ahmad Affana - 1993 - Ramallah
76. Ramdan Mohammad Oudeh Yacoub - 1993 - Ramallah
77. Ayman Mohammad Anees Jaradan - 1993 -Jenin
78. Omar Issa Rajab Masoud - 1993 - Gaza
79. Yousef Awwad Mohammad Masalhiyeh - 1993 - Gaza
80. Mohammad Musa Issa Issa - 1993 - Jerusalem
81. Riziq Ali Khader Salah - 1993 - Bethlehem
82. Salah Mahmoud Zayed Muqalad - 1993 Gaza
83. Nael Rafiq Ibrahim Salhab - 1993 Gaza
84. Ahmad Awad Ali Kamel - 1993 - Jenin
85. Salameh Abdullah Salameh Musleh - 1993 - Gaza
86. Ismat Omar Abdul Hafeez Mansour - 1993 - Ramallah
87. Miqdad Ibrahim Ahmad Salah -1993 - Nablus
88. Sameer Hussain Ghanem Murtaja - 1993 - Gaza
89. Saed Rushdi Mohammad A-Tamimi - 1993 - Ramallah
90. Mohammad Yousef Abdul Jawad Shamasneh - 1993 - Jerusalem
91. Jawad Yousef Jawad Shamasneh - 1993 - Jerusalem
92. Aladdin Fahmi Fahd al-Karaki - 1993 - Hebron
93. Nasser Fawzi Mustafa Barham - 1993 - Tulkarem
94. Hilmi Hamad Obaid al-Amawi - 1994 - Gaza
95. Aladdin Ahmad Saed Abu Sitteh - 1994 - Gaza
96. Midhat Fayez Rajab Barbakh - 1994 - Gaza
97. Ayman Taleb Mohammad Abu Sitteh - 1994 - Gaza
98. Yousef Saed Oudeh Abdul - 1994 - Gaza
99. Atiyeh Salem Ali Abu Mousa - 1994 - Gaza
100. Hazem Qassem Taher Shabir - 1994 - Gaza
101. Ali Ibrahime Salem Al-Raei - 1994 - Gaza
102. Mahmoud Mohammad Radwan Salman - 1994 - Gaza
103. Rami Jawdat Zaki Barbakh - 1994 - Gaza
104. Ibrahim Mohammad Radwan Salamn - 1994 - Gaza
Israel cabinet votes on Palestinian prisoner release
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek cabinet approval on Sunday for a contentious release of 104 veteran Palestinian and Israeli-Arab prisoners, to coincide with the resumption of peace talks.
While the names of the prisoners have yet to be officially published, or even revealed to ministers, they reportedly include militants convicted of killing Israeli women and children or Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel.
An unofficial list published by Almagor, a group representing Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks, said that candidates for release also included those jailed for acts such as the killing of a creditor, murder during car theft and a man convicted of strangling his wife whom he suspected of adultery.
The planned releases have brought protests from Israeli victims' families and from Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners.
The premier said in an open letter published on his Facebook page that he too had deep misgivings.
"This is an incomparably difficult decision," he wrote. "It is painful for the bereaved families, it is painful for the entire nation and it is also very painful for me."
Israeli media reported on Sunday that the far-right Jewish Home party intends to vote against the plan, while the equally hardline Yisrael Beitenu had given its ministers a free vote.
There were rumblings within Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party too, with deputy defense minister Danny Danon urging the party's ministers to vote "no" in Sunday's cabinet session, which begins at 0700 GMT.
"I say that this is a diplomatic mistake, a moral mistake,' he told public radio.
"The message we are giving the terrorists is that, at the end of the day, we are freeing them as heroes."
Commentators nevertheless expected Netanyahu to win the vote, albeit by a narrow margin.
A Palestinian official told AFP on Saturday that the US-brokered renewal of peace talks, stalled since September 2010, would open in Washington on Tuesday.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club which tracks the well-being of Palestinians in Israeli jails, said on Sunday that there would be no talks unless all 104 prisoners returned to their homes.
"If they don't free all of them, there will be no negotiations," he told public radio.
In past deals, Israel has expelled some freed prisoners from the occupied West Bank or annexed East Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip or abroad but Fares said that would not be acceptable this time.
"Expulsion is punishment," he said. "These people. who are now over 50 years old, all of them sick, need to be released to their homes."
The cabinet will hear a formal statement from Netanyahu on the resumption of peace talks and mandate a ministerial committee to handle the prisoner release, the government website said.
Israeli news website Ynet said Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee deciding which prisoners are to be freed and when.
The cabinet is also set to draw up a bill to submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.
Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.
The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.
A cabinet briefing paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to fast-track its passage into law.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society on Sunday published a list of detainees expected to be freed as part of a release deal by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that Israel will free 104 Palestinian prisoners to coincide with the resumption of long-stalled peace talks brokered by the United States. The Israeli PM will seek cabinet approval for the release on Sunday.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, said earlier that there would be no talks unless all 104 prisoners returned to their homes.
The list details each prisoner's name, year of arrest, and place of origin.
1. Karim Yousef Fadel Younis - 1983 - Israel
2. Maher Abed al-Latif Younis - 1983 - Israel
3. Issa Nemr Jebril Abed Rabu - 1984 - Bethlehem
4. Ahmad Farid Mohammad Shihada - 1985 - Ramallah
5. Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Naser - 1985 - Ramallah
6. Rafi Farhud Mohammad Karaja - 1985 - Ramallah
7. Mustafa Amer Mohammad Ghniemat - 1985 - Hebron
8. Ziyad Mahmud Mohammad Ghniemat - 1985 - Hebron
9. Othman Abdullah Mahmud Bani Hassan - 1985 - Jenin
10. Haza Mohammad Haza Saedi - 1985 - Jenin
11. Mohammad Ahmad Abed al-Hamid al-Tus - 1985 - Hebron
12. Fayez Mtawe Hamad al-Khur - 1985 - Gaza
13. Mohammad Musbah Khalil Ashur - 1986 - Jerusalem
14. Ibrahim Nayef Hamdan Abu Mukh - 1986 - Israel
15. Rushdi Hamdan Mohammad Abu Mukh - 1986 - Israel
16. Walid Nemr Asaad Daqa - 1986 - Israel
17. Ibrahim Abed al-Razaq Ahmad Bayadsa - 1986 - Israel
18. Ahmad Ali Hussein Abu Jaber - 1986 - Israel
19. Afu Musbah Nufal Shuqaier - 1986 - Salfit
20. Samir Ibrahim Mahmud Abu Nema - 1986 - Jerusalem
21. Mohammad Adel Hassan Dawod - 1987 - Qalqiliya
22. Yassin Mohammad Yassin Abu Khdeir - 1987 - Jerusalem
23. Bashir Abdullah Kamel al-Khatib - 1988 - Israel
24. Mahmud Othman Ibrahim Jabarin - 1988 - Israel
25. Jum’a Ibrahim Juma Adam - 1988 - Ramallah
26. Mahmud Salim Suliman Abu Khraesh - Jericho
27. Samir Saleh Taha Sarsawi - 1988 - Israel
28. Bilal Ahmad Yousef Abu Hussein - 1988 - Jerusalem
29. Ibrahim Lutfi Helmi Taqtouq - 1989 - Nablus
30. Samir Nayef Abed al-Ghafar al-Nanish - 1989 - Nablus
31. Bilal Ibrahim Mustafa Damra - 1989 - Salfit
32. Mustafa Othman Omar al-Hajj - 1989 - Salfit
33. Nehad Yousef Radwan Jundiya - 1989 -Gaza
34. Mohamad Mahmud Awad Hamdiya -1989 - Gaza
35. Raed Mohammad Sharif al-Sadi - 1989 - Jenin
36. Najeh Mohammad Badwi Muqbel -1990 - Hebron
37. Mohamad Jaber Yousef Nashbat -1990 - Gaza
38. Ahmad Saed Mohammad al-Damouni - 1990 - Gaza
39. Mohammad Abed al-Majid Sawalha - 1990 - Nablus
40. Hussni Fargh Ahmad Sawalha - 1990 - Nablus
41. Mohammad Ahmad Mahmud al-Sabagh - 1991 - Jenin
42. Khalid Dawod Ahmad Rizeq - 1991 - Bethlehem
43. Mukhles Sedqi Abed al-Razaq Sawafta - 1991 - Jenin
44. Faris Ahmad Mohammad Barud - 1991 - Gaza
45. Khalid Mohammad Ahmad Asakra - 1991 - Bethlehem
46. Faysal Mustafa Mahmud Abu al-Rub - 1991 - Jenin
47. Jamal Khalid Ibrahim Abu Mihsen - 1991 - Tubas
48. Abed al-Rahman Yousef Mahmud al-Hajj - 1992 - Qalqiliya
49. Mahmud Atta Mahmud Moamar - 1992 - Bethlehem
50. Ibrahim Hassan Mahmud Ighbariya - 1992 - Israel
51. Mohammad Saeed Hassan Ighbariya - 1992 - Israel
52. Yahya Mustafa Mohammad Ighbariya -1992 - Israel
53. Mohammad Tawfiq Suliman Jabarin - 1992 - Israel
54. Noman Yousef Ahmad Shalabi - 1992 - Jenin
55. Adnan Mohammad Yousef al-Afandi - 1992 - Bethlehem
56. Sharif Hassan Atiq Abu Dhaileh - 1992 - Nablus
57. Moayad Salim Mahmoud Hijjeh - 1992 - Nablus
58. Faraj Saleh Abdullah Al-Rimahi - 1992 - Gaza
59. Asrar Mustafa Kalib Samrine - 1992 - Al-Bireh
60. Mousa Izzat Mousa Qaraan - 1992 - Al-Bireh
61. Diyaa Zakariya Shaker al-Falouji - 1992 - Gaza
62. Osama Zakariya Wadee Abu Hinani - 1992 - Jenin
63. Mohammad Yousef Sulaiman Tarkaman - 1992 - Jenin
64. Ahmad Jumaa Mustafa Khalaf - 1992 - Jerusalem
65. Mohammad Fawzi Salameh Filna - 1992 - Ramallah
66. Jameel Abdul Wahab Jamal Al-Natsheh - 1992 - Hebron
67. Nasser Hannas Abdul Hameed Abu Srour - 1993 - Bethlehem
68. Mahmoud Jameel Hassan Abu Srour - 1993 - Bethlehem
69. Taher Mohammad Taher Zyoud - 1993 - Jenin
70. Ahmad Saed Qassem Abdul Aziz - 1993 - Jenin
71. Osama Khaled Kamel Silawi - 1993 - Jenin
72. Yousef Abdul Hameed Irshid - 1993 - Jenin
73. Atef Izzat Shaaban Shaath - 1993 - Gaza
74. Mohammad Noufel Mohammad Daajneh - 1993 - Ramallah
75. Mohammad Mustaa Ahmad Affana - 1993 - Ramallah
76. Ramdan Mohammad Oudeh Yacoub - 1993 - Ramallah
77. Ayman Mohammad Anees Jaradan - 1993 -Jenin
78. Omar Issa Rajab Masoud - 1993 - Gaza
79. Yousef Awwad Mohammad Masalhiyeh - 1993 - Gaza
80. Mohammad Musa Issa Issa - 1993 - Jerusalem
81. Riziq Ali Khader Salah - 1993 - Bethlehem
82. Salah Mahmoud Zayed Muqalad - 1993 Gaza
83. Nael Rafiq Ibrahim Salhab - 1993 Gaza
84. Ahmad Awad Ali Kamel - 1993 - Jenin
85. Salameh Abdullah Salameh Musleh - 1993 - Gaza
86. Ismat Omar Abdul Hafeez Mansour - 1993 - Ramallah
87. Miqdad Ibrahim Ahmad Salah -1993 - Nablus
88. Sameer Hussain Ghanem Murtaja - 1993 - Gaza
89. Saed Rushdi Mohammad A-Tamimi - 1993 - Ramallah
90. Mohammad Yousef Abdul Jawad Shamasneh - 1993 - Jerusalem
91. Jawad Yousef Jawad Shamasneh - 1993 - Jerusalem
92. Aladdin Fahmi Fahd al-Karaki - 1993 - Hebron
93. Nasser Fawzi Mustafa Barham - 1993 - Tulkarem
94. Hilmi Hamad Obaid al-Amawi - 1994 - Gaza
95. Aladdin Ahmad Saed Abu Sitteh - 1994 - Gaza
96. Midhat Fayez Rajab Barbakh - 1994 - Gaza
97. Ayman Taleb Mohammad Abu Sitteh - 1994 - Gaza
98. Yousef Saed Oudeh Abdul - 1994 - Gaza
99. Atiyeh Salem Ali Abu Mousa - 1994 - Gaza
100. Hazem Qassem Taher Shabir - 1994 - Gaza
101. Ali Ibrahime Salem Al-Raei - 1994 - Gaza
102. Mahmoud Mohammad Radwan Salman - 1994 - Gaza
103. Rami Jawdat Zaki Barbakh - 1994 - Gaza
104. Ibrahim Mohammad Radwan Salamn - 1994 - Gaza
Israel cabinet votes on Palestinian prisoner release
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek cabinet approval on Sunday for a contentious release of 104 veteran Palestinian and Israeli-Arab prisoners, to coincide with the resumption of peace talks.
While the names of the prisoners have yet to be officially published, or even revealed to ministers, they reportedly include militants convicted of killing Israeli women and children or Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel.
An unofficial list published by Almagor, a group representing Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks, said that candidates for release also included those jailed for acts such as the killing of a creditor, murder during car theft and a man convicted of strangling his wife whom he suspected of adultery.
The planned releases have brought protests from Israeli victims' families and from Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners.
The premier said in an open letter published on his Facebook page that he too had deep misgivings.
"This is an incomparably difficult decision," he wrote. "It is painful for the bereaved families, it is painful for the entire nation and it is also very painful for me."
Israeli media reported on Sunday that the far-right Jewish Home party intends to vote against the plan, while the equally hardline Yisrael Beitenu had given its ministers a free vote.
There were rumblings within Netanyahu's own right-wing Likud party too, with deputy defense minister Danny Danon urging the party's ministers to vote "no" in Sunday's cabinet session, which begins at 0700 GMT.
"I say that this is a diplomatic mistake, a moral mistake,' he told public radio.
"The message we are giving the terrorists is that, at the end of the day, we are freeing them as heroes."
Commentators nevertheless expected Netanyahu to win the vote, albeit by a narrow margin.
A Palestinian official told AFP on Saturday that the US-brokered renewal of peace talks, stalled since September 2010, would open in Washington on Tuesday.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club which tracks the well-being of Palestinians in Israeli jails, said on Sunday that there would be no talks unless all 104 prisoners returned to their homes.
"If they don't free all of them, there will be no negotiations," he told public radio.
In past deals, Israel has expelled some freed prisoners from the occupied West Bank or annexed East Jerusalem to the Gaza Strip or abroad but Fares said that would not be acceptable this time.
"Expulsion is punishment," he said. "These people. who are now over 50 years old, all of them sick, need to be released to their homes."
The cabinet will hear a formal statement from Netanyahu on the resumption of peace talks and mandate a ministerial committee to handle the prisoner release, the government website said.
Israeli news website Ynet said Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee deciding which prisoners are to be freed and when.
The cabinet is also set to draw up a bill to submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.
Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.
The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.
A cabinet briefing paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to fast-track its passage into law.
The Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) renewed the administrative detention of Hamas leader Dr. Amjad Al-Hammuri for four months for the second time. Dr. Hammuri’s wife said that the prison administration told her husband on Saturday that he would not be released at completion of his detention period and that the decision was taken four days earlier.
The IOA arrested Dr. Hammuri, who is a liberated prisoner and a detainee at the PA jails, by the end of March. He was among the list of candidates for Hamas change and reform bloc in 2006 parliamentary elections.
The IOA arrested Dr. Hammuri, who is a liberated prisoner and a detainee at the PA jails, by the end of March. He was among the list of candidates for Hamas change and reform bloc in 2006 parliamentary elections.
Netanyahu's proposal to free 104 Palestinian prisoners as gesture to Abbas expected to be approved; bereaved families protest outside government complex, chant 'Bibi is a coward'
The cabinet is convening Sunday morning to vote on the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority ahead of the expected resumption of US-brokered peace talks.
Ahead of the vote, relatives of Israelis who were killed in terror attacks gathered outside the government complex in Jerusalem to protest against the release of prisoners.
The protesters chanted: "This is a day of mourning," "You do not release murderers of children" and "Bibi is a coward." They handed out the private phone numbers of the ministers to passersby, urging them to call the ministers and ask that they vote against the release of Palestinian prisoners.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal, the prisoners will be released at stages as the peace negotiations progress. The proposal further states that a ministerial committee headed by Netanyahu will finalize the details of the prisoners' release at a later stage. The cabinet is expected to approve the proposal.
Apart from the premier, the ministerial committee will include Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich and Science and Technology Minister Ya'akov Peri. "This is an incredibly difficult decision. It hurts the bereaved families, it hurts all of the Israeli people and it hurts me very much. It clashes with the most important principle, the principle of justice," Netanyahu said Saturday in an open letter to the citizens of Israel explaining his decision to release Palestinian prisoners. "Sometimes prime ministers are forced to make decisions that go against public opinion - when the issue is important for the country," he said.
"Our best response to the loathsome murderers who tried to terrorize us into submission is that in the decades that they sat in prison, we built a state to be proud of," Netanyahu said in the letter. Addressing the upcoming start of peace talks, the PM said that "in the next nine months we will determine if across from us is a Palestinian partner that desires a true end to the conflict as we do."
The cabinet is convening Sunday morning to vote on the release of 104 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to the Palestinian Authority ahead of the expected resumption of US-brokered peace talks.
Ahead of the vote, relatives of Israelis who were killed in terror attacks gathered outside the government complex in Jerusalem to protest against the release of prisoners.
The protesters chanted: "This is a day of mourning," "You do not release murderers of children" and "Bibi is a coward." They handed out the private phone numbers of the ministers to passersby, urging them to call the ministers and ask that they vote against the release of Palestinian prisoners.
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal, the prisoners will be released at stages as the peace negotiations progress. The proposal further states that a ministerial committee headed by Netanyahu will finalize the details of the prisoners' release at a later stage. The cabinet is expected to approve the proposal.
Apart from the premier, the ministerial committee will include Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich and Science and Technology Minister Ya'akov Peri. "This is an incredibly difficult decision. It hurts the bereaved families, it hurts all of the Israeli people and it hurts me very much. It clashes with the most important principle, the principle of justice," Netanyahu said Saturday in an open letter to the citizens of Israel explaining his decision to release Palestinian prisoners. "Sometimes prime ministers are forced to make decisions that go against public opinion - when the issue is important for the country," he said.
"Our best response to the loathsome murderers who tried to terrorize us into submission is that in the decades that they sat in prison, we built a state to be proud of," Netanyahu said in the letter. Addressing the upcoming start of peace talks, the PM said that "in the next nine months we will determine if across from us is a Palestinian partner that desires a true end to the conflict as we do."
27 july 2013
Dozens protest against Praver Bill; stone cars
Dozens protested at the Beit Rimon Junction against the Praver Bill for the resettlement of Bedouins in the Negev. The protesters blocked traffic and stoned cars, causing damage to one vehicle. Police arrested two men in their twenties.
Dozens protested at the Beit Rimon Junction against the Praver Bill for the resettlement of Bedouins in the Negev. The protesters blocked traffic and stoned cars, causing damage to one vehicle. Police arrested two men in their twenties.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel will free 104 Palestinian prisoners to coincide with the resumption of long-stalled peace talks brokered by the United States.
"I agreed to free 104 Palestinians in stages, after the start of negotiations and according to progress," he wrote on his official Facebook page.
He did not give details on those to be freed or confirm reports that talks would open in Washington on Tuesday.
A Palestinian official earlier told AFP that the Washington meeting would be attended by chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erakat, his Israeli counterpart Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and US officials.
The sides are expected to meet for an informal dinner on Monday evening, on the eve, he said.
Israel's Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said this week that talks could resume next Tuesday, but neither the date nor venue have so far been confirmed.
"At this time, it seems most important to me that the state of Israel enter (negotiations)," Netanyahu wrote.
"This is important both to maximize the possibility of ending the conflict with the Palestinians and to solidify Israel's position in the complex international reality surrounding us," he added, writing in Hebrew.
Haaretz newspaper said the initial talks would be to lay the parameters of formal negotiations.
"According to senior officials in Jerusalem, the meeting in Washington is expected to deal primarily with the agenda for holding negotiations, including the subjects to be discussed and the timetable," according to Haaretz.
Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting will hear a formal statement from Netanyahu on the resumption of peace talks and mandate a ministerial committee to handle the prisoner release, the government website said.
Israeli news website Ynet said Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee deciding which prisoners are to be freed and when.
The cabinet is also set to endorse a draft bill to submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.
Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.
A briefing paper published by the cabinet office said the proposal comes "in light of the significant diplomatic developments accompanying the opening of negotiations by the state of Israel with the Palestinian Authority".
The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.
The cabinet paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to streamline its passage into law.
Talks with Israel 'to start Tuesday'
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are to meet in Washington on July 30 for a round of talks after a three-year break in peace negotiations, a Palestinian official said on Saturday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP that the Palestinian delegation would be led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat with the Israelis headed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.
US officials would also take part, he added.
The sides are expected to meet for an informal dinner on Monday evening, he said.
Israel's Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said this week that talks could resume next Tuesday, but neither the date nor venue have so far been confirmed.
Livni, Israel's designated chief negotiator, will reportedly be accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal envoy Yitzhak Molcho.
"According to senior officials in Jerusalem, the meeting in Washington is expected to deal primarily with the agenda for holding negotiations, including the subjects to be discussed and the timetable," according to Haaretz newspaper.
On Saturday, both Haaretz and public radio reported that Israel was expected to release more than 100 Palestinian prisoners in stages during the talks, expected to last for six to nine months.
An Israeli official said this week that the release of "around 80" long-serving Palestinian prisoners was being considered.
The agenda for Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting says Netanyahu will tell ministers about the resumption of the talks, and also ask them to task a ministerial committee on "the release of Palestinian prisoners during the course of negotiations". It did not give a number.
Israeli news website Ynet said that Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee, which would decide which prisoners would be freed and the timetable for their release.
The cabinet is also set to endorse a draft bill which would submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.
Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.
A briefing paper published by the cabinet office said the proposal comes "in light of the significant diplomatic developments accompanying the opening of negotiations by the state of Israel with the Palestinian Authority".
The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.
The cabinet paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to streamline its passage into law.
"I agreed to free 104 Palestinians in stages, after the start of negotiations and according to progress," he wrote on his official Facebook page.
He did not give details on those to be freed or confirm reports that talks would open in Washington on Tuesday.
A Palestinian official earlier told AFP that the Washington meeting would be attended by chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erakat, his Israeli counterpart Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and US officials.
The sides are expected to meet for an informal dinner on Monday evening, on the eve, he said.
Israel's Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said this week that talks could resume next Tuesday, but neither the date nor venue have so far been confirmed.
"At this time, it seems most important to me that the state of Israel enter (negotiations)," Netanyahu wrote.
"This is important both to maximize the possibility of ending the conflict with the Palestinians and to solidify Israel's position in the complex international reality surrounding us," he added, writing in Hebrew.
Haaretz newspaper said the initial talks would be to lay the parameters of formal negotiations.
"According to senior officials in Jerusalem, the meeting in Washington is expected to deal primarily with the agenda for holding negotiations, including the subjects to be discussed and the timetable," according to Haaretz.
Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting will hear a formal statement from Netanyahu on the resumption of peace talks and mandate a ministerial committee to handle the prisoner release, the government website said.
Israeli news website Ynet said Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee deciding which prisoners are to be freed and when.
The cabinet is also set to endorse a draft bill to submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.
Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.
A briefing paper published by the cabinet office said the proposal comes "in light of the significant diplomatic developments accompanying the opening of negotiations by the state of Israel with the Palestinian Authority".
The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.
The cabinet paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to streamline its passage into law.
Talks with Israel 'to start Tuesday'
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are to meet in Washington on July 30 for a round of talks after a three-year break in peace negotiations, a Palestinian official said on Saturday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP that the Palestinian delegation would be led by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat with the Israelis headed by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni.
US officials would also take part, he added.
The sides are expected to meet for an informal dinner on Monday evening, he said.
Israel's Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom said this week that talks could resume next Tuesday, but neither the date nor venue have so far been confirmed.
Livni, Israel's designated chief negotiator, will reportedly be accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal envoy Yitzhak Molcho.
"According to senior officials in Jerusalem, the meeting in Washington is expected to deal primarily with the agenda for holding negotiations, including the subjects to be discussed and the timetable," according to Haaretz newspaper.
On Saturday, both Haaretz and public radio reported that Israel was expected to release more than 100 Palestinian prisoners in stages during the talks, expected to last for six to nine months.
An Israeli official said this week that the release of "around 80" long-serving Palestinian prisoners was being considered.
The agenda for Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting says Netanyahu will tell ministers about the resumption of the talks, and also ask them to task a ministerial committee on "the release of Palestinian prisoners during the course of negotiations". It did not give a number.
Israeli news website Ynet said that Netanyahu would head the prisoner committee, which would decide which prisoners would be freed and the timetable for their release.
The cabinet is also set to endorse a draft bill which would submit any peace treaty with the Palestinians to a referendum.
Such a vote would be a final endorsement of a treaty after ratification by the government and parliament.
A briefing paper published by the cabinet office said the proposal comes "in light of the significant diplomatic developments accompanying the opening of negotiations by the state of Israel with the Palestinian Authority".
The draft is seen as a gesture to right-wing ministers apprehensive of concessions that could be demanded of Israel in the talks.
The cabinet paper said the government saw approval of the new draft as "urgent and important" and said it would be asking parliament to streamline its passage into law.
Israeli soldiers arrested Saturday three farmers who stood up to them and to settlers who intruded on their land in Yatta, south of Hebron, according to an area farmer. Khaled Awad told WAFA that soldiers arrested his brother, Said, and two other relatives after they refused to allow them to reach their land and started, along with settlers from nearby Mizpe Yair, built illegally on Yatta land, to beat them.
He said the landowners and other activists, including internationals, tried to reach the land the army has declared a closed military area and which amounts to 266 dunums, attacking them as they reached their land.
An Israeli court had previously ordered the military government to return the land in question to its Palestinian landowners.
However, the military authority refused to enforce the ruling and has refused to allow the landowners to reach their land for over a year under the pretext it was a closed military zone.
He said the landowners and other activists, including internationals, tried to reach the land the army has declared a closed military area and which amounts to 266 dunums, attacking them as they reached their land.
An Israeli court had previously ordered the military government to return the land in question to its Palestinian landowners.
However, the military authority refused to enforce the ruling and has refused to allow the landowners to reach their land for over a year under the pretext it was a closed military zone.
The health condition of hunger striker Emad Al-Batran has rapidly deteriorated in Israeli custody. The Palestinian prisoner’s society said in a statement on Saturday that Batran, from Edhna village in Al-Khalil, is suffering from low blood pressure, slow heart rate, and severe pain in his body.
Batran, now held in Assaf Harofeh hospital, has entered his 81st day of hunger strike protesting his re-arrest.
Batran, now held in Assaf Harofeh hospital, has entered his 81st day of hunger strike protesting his re-arrest.
Ayman Hamdan, from Bethlehem, entered Saturday day 90 in his hunger strike demanding his release from administrative detention, whereby he is held for long periods of time without charge or trial, according to the Prisoner Club. It said in a statement that another prisoner, Imad Batran, started Saturday day 81 of hunger strike also demanding release from administrative detention.
Both prisoners, said the Club, were admitted to an Israeli hospital “in difficult and humiliating condition.”
It said both prisoners are handcuffed in their hospital bed and are forced to sleep with their face to the wall. They are also not allowed to go to the toilet every time they need to.
Both prisoners, said the Club, were admitted to an Israeli hospital “in difficult and humiliating condition.”
It said both prisoners are handcuffed in their hospital bed and are forced to sleep with their face to the wall. They are also not allowed to go to the toilet every time they need to.
The Israeli government will increase the number of Palestinian prisoners set to be released as part of a gesture to the Palestinian side to resume peace talks, Israeli radio said Saturday.
The number of prisoners released is set to increase to 102, a report on Israeli radio said. The issue will be addressed by Israel's government on Sunday.
Israel may free Palestinian prisoners who hold Israeli citizenship, as well as prisoners held on criminal charges, the report added.
Earlier this week, an Israeli official said around 80 long-serving Palestinian prisoners would be released.
"The prisoner releases will start when talks commence," the Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We're talking about releasing them in stages."
There were "some 80 prisoners" set to be released, all of them "pre-Oslo," the official added, referring to Palestinians imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
The number of prisoners released is set to increase to 102, a report on Israeli radio said. The issue will be addressed by Israel's government on Sunday.
Israel may free Palestinian prisoners who hold Israeli citizenship, as well as prisoners held on criminal charges, the report added.
Earlier this week, an Israeli official said around 80 long-serving Palestinian prisoners would be released.
"The prisoner releases will start when talks commence," the Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We're talking about releasing them in stages."
There were "some 80 prisoners" set to be released, all of them "pre-Oslo," the official added, referring to Palestinians imprisoned before the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
Jerusalem and West Bank cities witnessed events in solidarity with captive Abdullah Barghouti, who has entered his 86th day of hunger strike. In the Aqsa mosque, worshipers organized a massive rally and hanged a big photo of prisoner Barghouti on one of the facades of the mosque after Friday congregation.
Meanwhile, many tents have been erected in solidarity with the hunger striking prisoners in Israeli occupation jails in a number of cities in the West Bank.
Barghouti has been chained and isolated in a room in Afula hospital in the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories. He has been exposed to psychological pressure and medical negligence by the Israeli prison administration.
Captive Barghouti started the hunger strike, along with five other Jordanian prisoners, on May 2. They have been refusing to stop their strike despite the serious deterioration of their health conditions as a result of the deliberate medical neglect.
Meanwhile, many tents have been erected in solidarity with the hunger striking prisoners in Israeli occupation jails in a number of cities in the West Bank.
Barghouti has been chained and isolated in a room in Afula hospital in the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories. He has been exposed to psychological pressure and medical negligence by the Israeli prison administration.
Captive Barghouti started the hunger strike, along with five other Jordanian prisoners, on May 2. They have been refusing to stop their strike despite the serious deterioration of their health conditions as a result of the deliberate medical neglect.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested a Palestinian young man in Arub refugee camp in Al-Khalil at dawn Saturday. Palestinian security sources said that the soldiers detained Ibrahim Abu Hashash, 24, from his home in the refugee camp.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF soldiers stormed four villages near Al-Khalil city and installed roadblocks on their entrances.
They said that no arrests were made in the IOF soldiers’ raids, adding that the soldiers erected roadblocks at the entrance to two other towns.
The locals said that the soldiers searched all passing vehicles and scrutinized IDs of their passengers, adding that the procedure continued until the early morning hours on Saturday.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses told the PIC that IOF soldiers stormed four villages near Al-Khalil city and installed roadblocks on their entrances.
They said that no arrests were made in the IOF soldiers’ raids, adding that the soldiers erected roadblocks at the entrance to two other towns.
The locals said that the soldiers searched all passing vehicles and scrutinized IDs of their passengers, adding that the procedure continued until the early morning hours on Saturday.
26 july 2013
Israeli forces on Friday detained a former Fatah fighter after raiding his home in the Jenin refugee camp, Palestinian Authority security sources said.
Israeli military vehicles raided the camp and detained 35-year-old Daoud Zubeidi, PA security officials told Ma'an.
An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Israeli military vehicles raided the camp and detained 35-year-old Daoud Zubeidi, PA security officials told Ma'an.
An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Source: Gov't to form committee to handle prisoners' release
The government is not expected to approve a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released on its weekly meeting, sources involved in the issue said. According to them, the government will agree to form a ministerial committee composed of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich , who will handle any future prisoners' release.
"There's still no real list of names," an Israeli official said. "Even the Palestinians didn't pass an ordered list."
The government is not expected to approve a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released on its weekly meeting, sources involved in the issue said. According to them, the government will agree to form a ministerial committee composed of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich , who will handle any future prisoners' release.
"There's still no real list of names," an Israeli official said. "Even the Palestinians didn't pass an ordered list."
Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said on Thursday that the occupation military authorities extended the detention of a number of Palestinian captives held in the Israeli jails. PPS said in a statement that the Salem Military Court and the occupation courts at Ofer military detention center, Ashkelon prison and Jalama interrogation center extended the detention of 26 Palestinians under the pretext of completing the investigation and judicial proceedings.
It stated that the Jalama Court extended the detention of 12 Palestinians to interrogate them further, while the Salem Court extended the detention of 6 others for the same reason.
The detention of 8 other Palestinian prisoners was extended by the Ashkelon and Ofer Military Courts for further interrogation and to charge them, the PPS added.
It stated that the Jalama Court extended the detention of 12 Palestinians to interrogate them further, while the Salem Court extended the detention of 6 others for the same reason.
The detention of 8 other Palestinian prisoners was extended by the Ashkelon and Ofer Military Courts for further interrogation and to charge them, the PPS added.
Israeli forces shot on Friday, a Palestinian and arrested another in Jenin Refugee Camp, north of the West Bank.
Security sources said that the 21-year-old Yousef Ammar al-Amer was shot with a bullet in his foot during clashes erupted between the Palestinians and Israeli forces that raided the camp.
The sources added that Israeli forces arrested the Palestinian Daoud Mohammed Zubaidi, 35, and casued damages to a vehicle belonging to Tamer Dababneh.
Security sources said that the 21-year-old Yousef Ammar al-Amer was shot with a bullet in his foot during clashes erupted between the Palestinians and Israeli forces that raided the camp.
The sources added that Israeli forces arrested the Palestinian Daoud Mohammed Zubaidi, 35, and casued damages to a vehicle belonging to Tamer Dababneh.
A senior Palestinian Authority official in the occupied West Bank has reported that direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, slated to start next Tuesday in Washington, cannot be held before Israel agrees to the release of all detainees held since before the first Oslo agreement of 1993.
Talking on condition of anonymity, the official said that “the detainees, including those from historic Palestine and Jerusalem, must be released before talks can resume”.
The official further stated that Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has repeatedly made it clear to Israel and the United States that the detainees must be freed, and must be sent back home regardless of where they live.
Meanwhile, Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, received an official invitation from the United States to start talks with Israeli Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni.
Erekat said that the United States clarified that the talks are based on the Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupied in 1967.
In addition, an unidentified official stated that “talks cannot resume before Israel commits itself to the release of all long term detainees, adding that “no Israeli commitment means Erekat will not be heading to Washington”.
Various Palestinian officials in the West Bank stated that any partial release of old detainee would be met by public outrage, and will be viewed as forfeiting the standards and principles set by President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.
An official told Haaretz that Netanyahu never made a clear statement regarding peace talks based on the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, never agreed to the release of the detainees, and never agreed to freeze all settlement activities.
“Therefore, we cannot be talking about resuming direct talks”. He said, “We need guarantees and real commitments”.
On its part, Israeli daily, Yedioth Aharonoth, quoted a Palestinian official stating that an agreement has been reached to release 103 detainees, imprisoned by Israeli before the Oslo Agreement, and that the Palestinian side is waiting for an Israel government session that will be held Sunday to vote on the issue.
“Should Israel refrain from releasing the 103 detainees, including 24 from Jerusalem and the 1948 territories, the P.A will face massive public outrage should it engage in direct talks with Tel Aviv”, the official added.
The same official said that talks will likely start, and that he believes Israel will release the 103 detainees on four phases starting on the first month of talks and ending on the sixth month.
Yedioth Aharonoth said that Israeli Member of Knesset, Sylvan Shalom, of the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu, did not void the possibility of releasing Palestinian detainees before the Fitir Muslim feast that marks the end of the current holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
The decision to resume direct peace talks was declared by U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, who recently toured the region and held extensive talks with Palestinian, Israeli and Arab officials. He said that direct final status peace talks would start next week in Washington.
Direct talks have been obstructed since September of 2009 when a temporary settlement freeze expired and Israel started massive constructions.
Talking on condition of anonymity, the official said that “the detainees, including those from historic Palestine and Jerusalem, must be released before talks can resume”.
The official further stated that Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has repeatedly made it clear to Israel and the United States that the detainees must be freed, and must be sent back home regardless of where they live.
Meanwhile, Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, received an official invitation from the United States to start talks with Israeli Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni.
Erekat said that the United States clarified that the talks are based on the Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupied in 1967.
In addition, an unidentified official stated that “talks cannot resume before Israel commits itself to the release of all long term detainees, adding that “no Israeli commitment means Erekat will not be heading to Washington”.
Various Palestinian officials in the West Bank stated that any partial release of old detainee would be met by public outrage, and will be viewed as forfeiting the standards and principles set by President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership.
An official told Haaretz that Netanyahu never made a clear statement regarding peace talks based on the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, never agreed to the release of the detainees, and never agreed to freeze all settlement activities.
“Therefore, we cannot be talking about resuming direct talks”. He said, “We need guarantees and real commitments”.
On its part, Israeli daily, Yedioth Aharonoth, quoted a Palestinian official stating that an agreement has been reached to release 103 detainees, imprisoned by Israeli before the Oslo Agreement, and that the Palestinian side is waiting for an Israel government session that will be held Sunday to vote on the issue.
“Should Israel refrain from releasing the 103 detainees, including 24 from Jerusalem and the 1948 territories, the P.A will face massive public outrage should it engage in direct talks with Tel Aviv”, the official added.
The same official said that talks will likely start, and that he believes Israel will release the 103 detainees on four phases starting on the first month of talks and ending on the sixth month.
Yedioth Aharonoth said that Israeli Member of Knesset, Sylvan Shalom, of the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu, did not void the possibility of releasing Palestinian detainees before the Fitir Muslim feast that marks the end of the current holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
The decision to resume direct peace talks was declared by U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, who recently toured the region and held extensive talks with Palestinian, Israeli and Arab officials. He said that direct final status peace talks would start next week in Washington.
Direct talks have been obstructed since September of 2009 when a temporary settlement freeze expired and Israel started massive constructions.
25 july 2013
The family of Palestinian prisoner Hosam Shaheen appealed to human rights groups and the Red Cross to urgently intervene to save the right leg of its son from amputation. Umm Hasan, the mother of Hosam, said that the prison doctors told her son that he has a virulent germ in his right leg and that they cannot do anything to treat it.
She added that her son cannot walk without the use of a crutch and the help of his prison mates, especially when he needs to go to the toilet, noting that he also suffers from other health problems including asthma.
She added that her son cannot walk without the use of a crutch and the help of his prison mates, especially when he needs to go to the toilet, noting that he also suffers from other health problems including asthma.
Palestinian human rights sources revealed Thursday that 12 Palestinian prisoners continue their open hunger strike in Israeli jails. The oldest hunger striker is Ayman Issa Hamdan from Bethlehem who declared an open hunger strike since April 28 protesting his administrative detention, Palestinian Prisoners Society said.
It is noteworthy that seven of these prisoners have declared their hunger strike since more than 80 days.
PPS stated that the Israeli military authorities have extended the arrest of dozens of captives detained in Israeli jails.
Salem Military Court has extended the arrest of 6 prisoners, while Jalama military court has extended the arrest of 12 detainees pending interrogation.
Furthermore, the military courts in Ofer and Ashkalon detention centers have renewed the arrested of 8 Palestinian detainees to complete the interrogation.
It is noteworthy that seven of these prisoners have declared their hunger strike since more than 80 days.
PPS stated that the Israeli military authorities have extended the arrest of dozens of captives detained in Israeli jails.
Salem Military Court has extended the arrest of 6 prisoners, while Jalama military court has extended the arrest of 12 detainees pending interrogation.
Furthermore, the military courts in Ofer and Ashkalon detention centers have renewed the arrested of 8 Palestinian detainees to complete the interrogation.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested the guard of a garbage dump in Yatta town, Al-Khalil province, and beat up two others in the same province. Ratib Al-Jabour, the coordinator of popular committees against the wall in Yatta, told Quds Press on Thursday that IOF soldiers in 30 armored vehicles stormed the garbage dump in Yatta on Wednesday night.
He said that the soldiers assaulted some of the workers in the dump and arrested its guard Fawaz Rubi, 29.
In another incident, IOF soldiers detained two Palestinian young men at the entrance to Arub refugee camp in Al-Khalil for a few hours and beat them up.
He said that the soldiers assaulted some of the workers in the dump and arrested its guard Fawaz Rubi, 29.
In another incident, IOF soldiers detained two Palestinian young men at the entrance to Arub refugee camp in Al-Khalil for a few hours and beat them up.
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The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have escalated its arrest campaign against Palestinian workers living in West Bank and working in 1948-occupied territories since the start of the holy month of Ramadan. The Secretary General of the Palestinian Workers Union Haidar Ibrahim confirmed that hundreds of Palestinian workers were arrested. Nearly 20 workers were investigated during the first ten days of Ramadan under the pretext of security file.
These escalated arrests against Palestinian workers contrasts with the Israeli claims of granting permits and facilities during the holy month of Ramadan, Ibrahim said, pointing out to the arrest of female workers as well. |
He noted that the Israeli claimed facilities during Ramadan were for those who came to perform prayers in al-Aqsa mosque and not for the Palestinian workers.
The Palestinian worker Majid Ma'ali stated that thousands of Palestinian workers used to cross through openings in the apartheid wall near the village of Azzun near Qalqilya from midnight till Suhur time.
While trying to cross the through the openings in the wall, an Israeli patrol suddenly appeared and started chasing the workers who fled the scene, he said.
Three workers were arrested and severely beaten and tortured for long hours, he added.
The workers also complained against the heavy fines imposed against them by the Israeli authorities, estimated at three thousand shekels.
Abdul Hakim Nasser, a researcher at the Palestinian Workers Union, pointed out that the Israeli occupation escalated the arrest campaign against workers at their work places inside the green line in total violation of international law.
He called on international union organizations to intervene to put an end to the Israeli prosecution and arrests to the Palestinian workers.
The Palestinian worker Majid Ma'ali stated that thousands of Palestinian workers used to cross through openings in the apartheid wall near the village of Azzun near Qalqilya from midnight till Suhur time.
While trying to cross the through the openings in the wall, an Israeli patrol suddenly appeared and started chasing the workers who fled the scene, he said.
Three workers were arrested and severely beaten and tortured for long hours, he added.
The workers also complained against the heavy fines imposed against them by the Israeli authorities, estimated at three thousand shekels.
Abdul Hakim Nasser, a researcher at the Palestinian Workers Union, pointed out that the Israeli occupation escalated the arrest campaign against workers at their work places inside the green line in total violation of international law.
He called on international union organizations to intervene to put an end to the Israeli prosecution and arrests to the Palestinian workers.
Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said on Thursday, that the Israeli authorities transferred Palestinian hunger striking prisoner Abdul Abdul Majed Khuderat from Megiddo Israeli prison to Ramleh prison medical clinic due to deterioration in his health condition.
The Prisoners Society revealed in a press statement that prisoner Khuderat was among prisoners who were released in Shalit's swap deal in 2011 and that he was re-arrested to serve the remainder of his sentence (five years).
It's worth mentioning that Khuderat has started his hunger strike on 1 July 2013 in protest of his re-arrest.
The Prisoners Society revealed in a press statement that prisoner Khuderat was among prisoners who were released in Shalit's swap deal in 2011 and that he was re-arrested to serve the remainder of his sentence (five years).
It's worth mentioning that Khuderat has started his hunger strike on 1 July 2013 in protest of his re-arrest.
Three Palestinians were injured early Thursday in clashes with Israeli forces in the Jenin refugee camp, locals said.
Israeli forces raided the camp and surrounded the Tawalba mosque and a kindergarten under construction, searching for a wanted Palestinian, locals told Ma'an.
Residents of the camp threw stones at the soldiers, who fired plastic-coated steel bullets and sound grenades, locals said.
Mohammad Matahin, Mohammad Soos and Muamin Soos were hit by plastic-coated bullets and dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation, they added.
The Israeli army said soldiers conducted a "routine overnight activity" in the camp and that Palestinians threw rocks at the forces.
Palestinians opened fire at soldiers and damaged two security vehicles, an Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an. Soldiers responded with "riot dispersal means," she added.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in raids across the West Bank early Thursday, the spokeswoman said. Soldiers detained two Palestinians in Nablus, one in Huwwara near Nablus, and another in Hebron.
Israeli forces raided the camp and surrounded the Tawalba mosque and a kindergarten under construction, searching for a wanted Palestinian, locals told Ma'an.
Residents of the camp threw stones at the soldiers, who fired plastic-coated steel bullets and sound grenades, locals said.
Mohammad Matahin, Mohammad Soos and Muamin Soos were hit by plastic-coated bullets and dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation, they added.
The Israeli army said soldiers conducted a "routine overnight activity" in the camp and that Palestinians threw rocks at the forces.
Palestinians opened fire at soldiers and damaged two security vehicles, an Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an. Soldiers responded with "riot dispersal means," she added.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in raids across the West Bank early Thursday, the spokeswoman said. Soldiers detained two Palestinians in Nablus, one in Huwwara near Nablus, and another in Hebron.
Israeli police on Wednesday briefly detained 20 Palestinians at Damascus gate in Jerusalem, a witness said.
The witness said Israeli border police released the Palestinians after around an hour, after checking their IDs.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Ma'an the detentions were related to a stabbing between two Palestinians with Israeli IDs. Police are investigating the incident.
The witness said Israeli border police released the Palestinians after around an hour, after checking their IDs.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Ma'an the detentions were related to a stabbing between two Palestinians with Israeli IDs. Police are investigating the incident.
The Committee against the Wall and Settlement in Beit Ummar village, north of al-Khalil revealed on Wednesday that a young man from the town has been arrested two days ago. The Committee's spokesman Muhammad Ayyad Awad told PIC that Louay Ibrahim Adi, aged 26, has been missing since last Monday, and that the Complaints Bureau confirmed to his father that he is held in Etzion prison, north of al-Khalil.
Awad noted that liberated prisoner Adi has been released on the first of last January from Israeli jails where he served 14 months.
Meanwhile; the occupation forces erected on Wednesday afternoon several military checkpoints south of the city of al-Khalil during raids in the region.
Eyewitnesses told PIC that the soldiers erected checkpoints near Najohout settlement built on lands southwest of al-Khalil, near the village of Khursa south of Dura and in the nearby village of Majd. The soldiers searched some vehicles, checked the identities of passers-by, and detained a young man for hours.
Military vehicles raided the citizens’ lands in areas, in the south of Dura, which are under the control of the occupation according to the Oslo agreement signed in 1993.
Awad noted that liberated prisoner Adi has been released on the first of last January from Israeli jails where he served 14 months.
Meanwhile; the occupation forces erected on Wednesday afternoon several military checkpoints south of the city of al-Khalil during raids in the region.
Eyewitnesses told PIC that the soldiers erected checkpoints near Najohout settlement built on lands southwest of al-Khalil, near the village of Khursa south of Dura and in the nearby village of Majd. The soldiers searched some vehicles, checked the identities of passers-by, and detained a young man for hours.
Military vehicles raided the citizens’ lands in areas, in the south of Dura, which are under the control of the occupation according to the Oslo agreement signed in 1993.
Al-Mizan center for human rights strongly denounced Israel's persistence in kidnapping Gazan patients and their relatives who found themselves forced to travel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. Al-Mizan center stated in a report on Wednesday that the kidnapping of patients at Beit Hanoun crossing violates Israel's legal obligations under the international humanitarian law, especially the fourth Geneva convention.
The center outlined some incidents in which patients from Gaza were taken prisoners by the Israeli occupation forces, although they had obtained travel permits, noting that the detention of patients at this crossing increased during the current month.
The center urged the international community to urgently intervene to curb Israel's violation of the international law regarding the right of Gaza citizen to have access to health care outside the besieged Strip.
Beit Hanoun crossing is almost the only passage for Gaza citizens whose medical conditions cannot be treated in Gaza hospitals, especially after the Egyptian army closed the Rafah border crossing and imposed travel restrictions.
The center outlined some incidents in which patients from Gaza were taken prisoners by the Israeli occupation forces, although they had obtained travel permits, noting that the detention of patients at this crossing increased during the current month.
The center urged the international community to urgently intervene to curb Israel's violation of the international law regarding the right of Gaza citizen to have access to health care outside the besieged Strip.
Beit Hanoun crossing is almost the only passage for Gaza citizens whose medical conditions cannot be treated in Gaza hospitals, especially after the Egyptian army closed the Rafah border crossing and imposed travel restrictions.
Clashes erupted on Thursday evening, between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the city of Nablus, northern West Bank.
Local sources said that Israeli forces fired dozens of tear gas canisters and sound bombs, injuring several Palestinians, who were transferred to one of the Hospitals for treatment.
The confrontations has launched in Rafidia area and near the An-Najah National University. The forces raided a number of Palestinian houses in the area and in al-Makhfyeh nearby neighborhood.
The sources added, the Israeli forces arrested Mohammed al-Damouni and Jihad Dashoun.
Local sources said that Israeli forces fired dozens of tear gas canisters and sound bombs, injuring several Palestinians, who were transferred to one of the Hospitals for treatment.
The confrontations has launched in Rafidia area and near the An-Najah National University. The forces raided a number of Palestinian houses in the area and in al-Makhfyeh nearby neighborhood.
The sources added, the Israeli forces arrested Mohammed al-Damouni and Jihad Dashoun.
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The families of Jerusalemite prisoners carried out a sit-in on Wednesday at the Red Cross headquarters in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem to protest the inspection procedures carried out by the prison administration when they went to visit their sons on Wednesday.
The Jerusalemites detainees and prisoners families committee said that the families of Jerusalemite prisoners and prisoners from the 1948 lands refused to visit their sons on Wednesday in “Nafha” prison after being subjected to humiliating inspection procedures and the assault on a young man from the 1948 lands by the prison’s guards and forcing his sister to take off her jacket under the pretext of security inspection. |
The families announced that they suspended visiting their sons in “Nafha” prison to protest the inspection procedures before the visit and holding the Red Cross Administration responsible for the continuous abuse by the occupation authorities.
The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights (ISFHR) reported that dozens of families of Palestinian detainees held by Israel at the Nafha prison have been denied family visits after a young Palestinian woman refused to be strip searched by the soldiers. The ISFHR said that the soldiers ordered the young woman to remove her clothes to be strip searched, but she refused. One of her relatives tried to defend her but the soldiers violently attacked and beat him.
Mother of detainee Mohammad Odeh, from Jerusalem, stated that the soldiers demanded dozens of women, mothers, wives and sisters of the detainees to be strip-searched, but they refused and were forced back home.
She added that she will be heading to the Red Cross to file a complaint against the ongoing Israeli violations and abuse, and added that three buses loaded with families of detainees in Nafha have been forced to return home with visiting their loved ones.
Mother of detainee Mohammad Odeh, from Jerusalem, stated that the soldiers demanded dozens of women, mothers, wives and sisters of the detainees to be strip-searched, but they refused and were forced back home.
She added that she will be heading to the Red Cross to file a complaint against the ongoing Israeli violations and abuse, and added that three buses loaded with families of detainees in Nafha have been forced to return home with visiting their loved ones.
