Haaretz: “PM approves eastward move of section of separation barrier”

by Meron Rapoport, January 31st

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has approved the moving of the separation barrier at least five kilometers eastward from the Green Line in the area of Modi’in Ilit, in order to take in the settlements of Nili and Na’aleh, according to security sources and a brief submitted by the state to the High Court of Justice.

The new route will create two Palestinian enclaves containing about 20,000 people. Nili and Na’aleh together have some 1,500 residents.

Olmert approved the change in response to pressure from residents of the two settlements, both of which would have been left outside the barrier, according to the route approved by the cabinet last April. The new route will lengthen the fence by about 12 kilometers, which will cost an estimated NIS 120 million.

If the cabinet approves Olmert’s decision, it will be the first time part of the fence has been moved eastward after receiving cabinet approval. Hitherto, all such changes have moved the fence westward, toward the Green Line, the pre-1967 border that separates Israel and the West Bank.

Nili and Na’aleh, both secular settlements, are located some five kilometers from the Green Line. Originally, they were supposed to be surrounded by a “double fence” ¬ one along the Green Line and one to their east ¬ that would have trapped five Palestinian villages, with some 17,000 residents between them. In June 2004, however, the High Court ordered a section of the fence near Jerusalem dismantled on the grounds that it caused disproportionate harm to local Palestinians, and the defense establishment feared that the court would do the same to the Nili-Na’aleh section. It therefore proposed a new route that eliminated the eastern fence and left Nili and Na’aleh outside the western fence, and in April 2006, the cabinet approved this route.

Rani Hernik, chairman of the Na’aleh local council, said that leaders of both settlements then began intensive lobbying in an effort to get the route changed again. Their main argument, he said, was that both settlements are on state land and would thus not interfere with the Palestinians’ “fabric of life,” and therefore, the court would be likely to approve a route that included them.

Colonel Danny Tirza, then the official in charge of planning the fence’s route, was the main person pushing to include Nili and Na’aleh, Hernik said. (The Defense Ministry subsequently removed Tirza from his position, because of an inaccurate affidavit he submitted to the High Court.)

Hernik said that the proposal to include the two settlements within the fence ended up on Olmert’s desk, “and as far as I know, received his authorization.” Security sources confirmed that Olmert approved the change in principle last November and asked the defense establishment to prepare a formal proposal for the cabinet.

And in response to a petition against the route approved by the cabinet last April, the Justice Ministry recently told the High Court that “a proposal to change the route of the security fence to include the Israeli settlements of Nili and Na’aleh and part of the road connecting the Nili-Na’aleh Junction to Kiryat Sefer (Modi’in Ilit) is due to be presented to the Israeli government.”

Hernik said that a new road is also due to be paved, which will connect Modi’in Ilit, Nili and Na’aleh with the settlement of Ofarim. Palestinians will not be permitted access to this road, but two tunnels will be built under it to allow Palestinian traffic to transverse it.

The result is that some 17,000 Palestinians will be stuck in an enclave bounded by the fence along the Green Line to the west, and the road and the Nili-Na’aleh fence to the east. Another village, with some 2,000 residents, will be enclosed by the new fence route on three sides.

Olmert’s office said in response that he has received a proposal to connect the defenses around Nili and Na’aleh to the barrier and is currently studying it. When he finishes, he will bring it to the cabinet for discussion.

The Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces said that the defense establishment “is currently engaged in staff work to examine the various alternatives,” including proposals to encompass the two settlements with a security fence and to protect the access road connecting them with Kiryat Sefer.

Bedouins to be made homeless for fourth time

by the ISM media team, January 30th


photo by AP

Early this morning Israeli bulldozers accompanied by the IOF started demolishing Palestinian houses in two East Jerusalem neighbourhoods, Issawiya and Attur, and the village of Eizariya, east of Jerusalem. Eizariya is having its land stolen, houses demolished and olive trees uprooted for the expansion of the Maale Adummim colony and the route of the Wall.

Occupation bulldozers first tore down the home of Mohammad Ahmad El-Hersh, where three families lived, over 100m from the route of the Wall. The families were told they would have to foot the bill of the demolition. When asked where they should go and live the IOF told them it wasn’t their business, that they should figure it out for themselves.

The bulldozers then moved to the area near the land razed for the Wall where a partly constructed house, used as an animal shelter, was demolished. The house belonged to Mahdi Qatmira. Mahdi was, however, more upset about the uprooting of around 20 of his olive trees: “buildings can be rebuilt, but these olive trees take a lifetime to grow and were destroyed recklessly in seconds.”

The IOF threatened to demolish some bedouin shacks in the same area. One of these shacks belongs to Khaled Bashat, a scrap metal merchant, who risks being made a refugee for the fouth time. The bedouin expect the IOF to return very soon.


photo by Reuters

Teach-in at Hebron checkpoint

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday February 1st at 2:00pm, a teach-in will be held in front of the Tel Rumeida checkpoint in the city of Hebron. The theme of this week’s action is the non-violent resistance promoted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement in the United States in the early 60s and was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The children of Tel Rumeida will gather together for their weekly art lesson at the checkpoint where they will learn about the work of Dr. King and will create a T-shirt with Dr. King’s famous quote: “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” in Arabic, English and Hebrew.

Palestinians, internationals and Israelis are invited to come to the teach-in. ISM Hebron extends a special invitation to Commander Assaf of the I.O.F. in Hebron. ISM Hebron will provide T-Shirt making supplies and material for 20 children and one I.O.F. commander.

Last Thursday local residents and community representatives rallied at the checkpoint. The previous Thursday residents were stopped from exercising their right, recognised by the Israeli Supreme Court, to walk along Shuhada Street through the centre of their city.

Contact info:
Issa Amro – 0599340549

YNet: “Ministers okay restrictions on violent settlers”

by Ronny Sofer, January 29th

Ministerial committee approves series of measures against extremist settlers to prevent attacks on Palestinian civilians

Government ministers on Monday approved a series of measures to be implemented against extremist settlers to prevent attacks on Palestinian civilians.

Movement restriction and expulsion orders will be issued for violent settlers and the budgets of settler institutions that foster incitement against Palestinian civilians will be slashed, a committee headed by Defense Minister Amir Peretz ruled.

The committee was set up after a video recording recorded in late January showed a female settler verbally abusing a Palestinian woman in the segregated West Bank city of Hebron.

It was also decided to boost police and Israeli army forces in hotbeds of confrontation between Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank, with a special emphasis on Herbon where some 600 settlers live among 120,000 Palestinians.

The meeting was attended by committee members Foreign and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, Minister of the Interior Ronnie Bar-On, and Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, who left the meeting to Eilat when news reached him that a suicide bomber had blown himself up in the southern resort city.

“We need to prevent this situation where breaches of the law take place with the authorities’ sponsorship,” Peretz said.

Measures irk right-wing groups

Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh has been appointed to oversee the implementation of the measures, which will be presented to the government for approval within 30 days.

Settler groups condemned the measures, accusing Peretz of pushing for tough actions against settlers to secure political gains ahead of elections for the leadership of the left-leaning Labor Party that he heads.

“The decisions badly carry the smell of primaries in the Labor Party,” the Yesha Council said in a statement.

“The use of expulsion orders is an aggressive and outrageous move. If there is evidence against a citizen he should be tried as expected. It is preferred that the security establishment deals with problems among our enemies, and the bombing in Eilat today is just a reminder of their intentions,” the statement said.

The National Union-NRP party said, “Instead of dealing with terror attacks, rising crime, and government corruption, the government is discriminating against residents of Judea and Samaria who are suffering from harassment by Palestinians.”

Right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir said the measures are illegal. “We have always known that the biggest dictators are the left-wingers. These are orders that lack legality and evidence,” he said.

Photo Exhibition Against Checkpoints at Huwwara

This Saturday, 3rd February, from 12 pm. Palestinian photographer Khaled Jarrar will exhibit his photos at Huwwara checkpoint, outside Nablus. These photos show the daily suffering of Palestinians at checkpoints and the Wall. The exhibition, entitled “At the Checkpoint”, is organized by the Palestinian Body for Dialogue, Peace and Equality (HASM) and is part of the “30 Days Against Checkpoints” campaign.

Commenting on the photo exhibition, Khaled Jarrar stated: “I want to show people our tragedy through my art, the reality of the daily humiliation we suffer, how old people, women and children are treated at the checkpoints. This is my form of nonviolence resistance.”

In the first action at Huwwara checkpoint on January 14th Palestinian youth dressed up as Native Americans and displayed banners linking the fate of the indigenous peoples of America and Palestine.

Contacts:
Mohammad Dweikat – Tel.: 0599355286 (HASM)