Tag: Jerusalem

West Bank is sealed off; two homes demolished in Bethlehem

(Edited from Ma’an reports)

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the complete closure of the West Bank on Friday, sealing all entrances to Jerusalem and Israel.

According to the Defense Ministry, the closure will last at least until next Sunday, giving the Israeli security services time to re-evaluate the situation after the attack on a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem on Thursday evening.

Immediately after the attack on the school, to the north of Bethlehem, Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers entered Bethlehem, surrounded the home of Islamic Jihad activist Muhammad Shahada and began to demolish the house.

The invading forces fired a missile at the two-storey house before bulldozers began demolishing it. They also demolished the house of Shahada’s father and seized his brother.

Local sources said that the Israeli forces closed the area surrounding Shahada’s house and searched in the neighbor’s houses looking for Shahada. Bethlehem resident Hasan Abu Sadud was shot in the foot.

Ma’an’s reporter said that the Israeli soldiers forced all the residents of the neighborhood out into the street and ordered them to undress. Not knowing wether Shahada was present, the soldiers called Shahada through loudspeakers, demanding to emerge from the house.

Earlier on Thursday, 20-year-old Osama ‘Eed from the village of Jurat Ash-Sham’a, near Bethlehem, was seriously injured after confrontations broke out between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian young people.

The forces withdrew on Friday morning.

The Israeli police announced a state of alert in all Israeli cities, especially Jerusalem where thousands of soldiers and police officers deployed preventing Muslims from praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Meanwhile, extremist Jews threatened to take revenge, shouting “death to Arabs”.

Barak said the attack represented the failure of the Palestinian Authority to fight “terrorism.”

Palestinians who appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court to stop settlers from digging tunnels under their homes were rounded up by the Israel police

For Immediate Release

For months the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), with funding from the settler organization ELAD, has been digging under the private property of Silwan residents in occupied East Jerusalem. The owners of the land were not informed nor did they give their consent to the digging that has already resulted in damage to the walls of their homes. The damage to buildings and infrastructure has reached a state where the main road caved in recently under the weight of the winter snow. Letters sent by Attorney Sami Ershed on behalf of the residents to the IAA requesting information about the digging taking place on their land have not been answered.

On Friday, February 7th Silwan residents established a protest tent on a privately owned plot adjacent to the ELAD visitors center where digging has been taking place. Yesterday, February the 10th, Silwan residents appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court for a temporary stop work order.

Late last night, police raided the village, and arrested four people. Three of them were land owners who had submitted the appeal to the Supreme Court. They were charged with sabotaging ELAD’s property, didn’t see a judge, and ended up signing conditions, placing them under house arrest for five days. The gross irony is the land they are charged with sabotaging, is their own.

Israeli Human Rights Attorney Gabi Laski stated: “When, in a politically sensitive place like Silwan, the settlers are being allowed to build and dig without permits and the law is not being enforced. And when people who want to complain about this to the police are the ones who are arrested, it indicates that there is something wrong with how the law is being enforced.”

MK Yossi Beilin (Meretz) also came to see the dig yesterday; he asked the IAA to allow him to have a look into the archaeological site, but was told that ELAD would not allow him to enter.

On Sunday workers arrived at the land to continued digging, but left after the owner of the land told them to leave his land. Later an Israeli settler from ELAD came with a worker. The owner of the land again attempted to tell the workers to stop, but this time the settler began cursing and pushing him, forcing him to call the police.

The police arrived and told the villagers to come with them to the police station to file a complaint. The owner of the land left with another Silwan witness and an Israeli activist from Tayush to file the complaint. But when they arrived at the station they found themselves under arrest for assault. The three were held overnight and brought today to court where they were released without restrictions, on NIS 2500 bail. The settler was not arrested.

After the three where arrested the workers returned and resumed the digging, only this time with police protection. Attorney Sami Ershed explained, “Under Israeli law the landlord of a property can prevent anyone from entering his own land by using reasonable force, the police were obliged to help them in doing that, but instead the police breached property rights by protecting the trespassers while they broke the law.”

On Monday afternoon, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled against a temporary stop work order, to keep settlers from digging on other peoples’ property. Instead they gave the settlers 14 days to respond to the complaints.

Fakhri Abu Diab said, “We, as Silwan residents, will not be silenced by this attempt to intimidate us from protesting the settlers attempt to take over our land. The settlers are building on our land without permits, and we are arrested when we complain about their activities. We will continue our vigil at the protest tent until our rights are restored.”

For more information contact:
Fakhri Abu Diab 0522.206.227 (Silwan Resident)
Attorney Gabi Laski 0544.418.988
Attorney Sami Ershed 0524.204.350

The Arab American News: New York activists take on Israeli settlement builder

New York activists take on Israeli settlement builder

By Will Youmans
The Arab American News
Saturday, 01.19.2008, 02:49am

http://www.arabamericannews.com/news/index.php?mod=article&cat=USA&article=538

A network of pro-Palestinian organizations in New York is working hard to expose Israeli businessman Lev Leviev’s sponsorship of Israeli settlement construction. The groups have engaged in creative protests and organized boycotts and pressured those linked with Leviev. Their boycott campaign is gaining strong momentum.

Leviev is a real estate magnate and diamond dealer. He is building strategic settlements in the occupied West Bank. These settlements violate international law, including U.N. resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.

Many are joining the movement against Leviev because his real estate projects in New York expel local, low-income residents from their communities, violate laws, and exploit underpaid laborers.

Leviev, who is one of Israel’s wealthiest businessmen, is building the Mattityahu East settlement on the lands of the village of Bil’in, and the Zufim settlement on the lands of the village of Jayyous. He is also involved in construction on the West Bank settlements of Har Homa and Maale Adumim around Jerusalem. The settlements are designed to divide the northern West Bank from the southern West Bank, and encircle and disconnect Jerusalem.

Notably, the people of Bil’in, Jayyous and the surrounding areas are mounting intense nonviolent protest campaigns against the settlement construction. Last Friday, villagers of Bil’in were joined by around 70 Israeli, international, and other Palestinian human rights activists in a protest against the Apartheid Wall.

The demonstration began as a march towards the gate in the Wall, where soldiers were standing with guns drawn. At the front of the march was the banner, “Leviev turns these rocks of apartheid into diamonds.” The soldiers opened fire with rubber-coated bullets and shot tear gas at the unarmed protestors, injuring several of the protestors badly.

These encroachments come at a time when Palestinian statehood is being held out as a possibility. Leviev’s activities undermine these prospects.

Leviev’s diamond trade topped Israel’s 30 Leading Exporters list in 2007, with net exports of $522 million. He deals in diamonds mined in Africa, has them polished in Israel, and uses the profits to help finance the illegal settlement construction.

Leviev’s diamonds are cleared through the Kimberley process, in which NGOs and the United Nations certify diamonds as “conflict-free.” However, New York activists allege his company benefits the repressive Angolan government and has been tied with the military junta in Burma. Funding clear violations of international law in Israel and Palestine is enough for them to protest.

When Leviev opened a jewelry store on Madison Avenue in New York, activists mobilized. They protested during a cocktail party in November, chanting “you’re glitz, you’re glam, you’re building on Palestinian land,” and, “occupation is a drag, just say no to your gift bag.” They wrote and performed political Christmas carols, and have held five protests in front of the store.

The Jewish Voice for Peace group called out movie star Susan Sarandon after she crossed its picket line to attend the cocktail party. The group asked her to “publicly sever ties” with the jeweler. Sarandon, a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, denies being connected with Leviev.

Recently, media reports surfaced claiming that Leviev was a financial supporter of Oxfam, a major “group of non-governmental organizations from three continents working worldwide to fight poverty and injustice.” It was claimed on the website of a Jewish community group group Leviev heads.

The coalition group Adalah-NY heard from Oxfam that “Leviev has not been a donor to Oxfam.” Oxfam explained that it does not “knowingly accept funds from any business involved in any illegal activity, or operating in any illegally occupied territory, including settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

Adalah-NY spokesperson Ethan Heitner commented, “We are unable to explain why articles praising Leviev and touting his charitable contributions, including an article on the news site of an organization he heads, claimed a link with Oxfam which Oxfam has now verified doesn’t exist. We are gratified that Oxfam has reiterated its longstanding opposition to Israeli settlement construction and refusal to accept donations from businesses like Leviev’s that are involved in violations of international law.”

Adalah-NY is a leading force behind the boycott campaign. Adalah-NY is joined by the U.S. organization Jewish Voice for Peace, Israel’s Coalition of Women for Peace, and leading Palestinian civil society organizations.

The group formed as a response to the escalation of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip at the end of June, 2006.

For more information on Adalah-NY visit www.mideastjustice.org.

Ma’ariv: Leviev Boasts A Contribution That Never Existed

Business tycoon Lev Leviev’s website boasts a contribution to a human rights organization, but there was no contribution at all.

by Gal Karniel

January 21, 2008

Economics Page

Ma’ariv On-Line (NRG)
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/16/ART1/685/919.html

Lev Leviev, known for his wealth and philanthropy, volunteered misleading information regarding the destination of his charitable donations. 

On December 28th, 2007, Lifestyles Magazine conducted an interview with the philanthropist Leviev. During the interview, several organizations were mentioned as recipients of donations from Leviev, among them Oxfam-US. The donation to Oxfam was also noted in profile pieces and other interviews with Leviev, for example in Women’s Wear Daily on September 5th, 2007. The Lifestyles interview was quoted in full within the magazine of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (Common-wealth of Independent States), an organization that supports Jewish communities in Russia, Israel, Germany, and the United States. Leviev is currently serving as the organization’s president. 

Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working in cooperation with more than 3,000 partners in more than 100 states, attempting to find long-term solutions to poverty and injustice.

Following the supposed connection between Leviev and Oxfam, the organization Adalah-NY addressed Oxfam in a letter dated January 8th, 2008, which requested that Oxfam not accept donations from Leviev due to his involvement in settlement construction in the West Bank territories, in violation of international law. The letter also referenced Leviev’s exploitation of the Angolan population working in the diamond trade, as well as the employment of workers and craftspeople under exploitative conditions in his Manhattan and Brooklyn enterprises, where many do not receive minimum wage and have complained of wage withholding. 

Across from Leviev’s Madison Avenue diamond store, human rights groups hold frequent demonstrations in denunciation of him and his activities.

Following this, Oxfam released a statement on the 13th of January 2008, stating that the organization maintains no connection whatsoever with Leviev. The statement, signed by Alex Renton of Oxfam-Great Britain and Adrienne Smith of Oxfam America, asserts that: “Contrary to various citations, Lev Leviev is not a donor to Oxfam America and has never been one. To the best of our knowledge Mr. Leviev has not been a donor to Oxfam or any of its affiliates. Oxfam International is an organization of 13 national affiliates working in 100 countries, and we are checking thoroughly whether any Oxfam has had any relationship with Mr. Leviev.”

The statement goes on to explain that “Oxfam’s policies on donations are clear. We do not accept donations from businesses involved in illegal activities, or operating in occupied territory, including settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Lev Leviev Group transmitted a letter to human rights groups on the 15th of January 2008, stating: “Having fled the yoke of communism as a teenager living in Uzbekistan, Lev Leviev knows oppression firsthand and has used his self-made success to alleviate suffering around the world. His generosity to numerous groups and organizations is motivated by the wish to do good things for others. Despite the negative characterization of his philanthropy by some political groups, Lev Leviev continues to use his philanthropy solely toward that goal.”

Leviev’s response did not arrive prior to the publication of this article. 

Translation: Adalah-NY

Al-Arabiya: Israel decides “not to build new settlements”

Israel has given new assurances to the United States on Jewish settlement activity in the occupied West Bank ahead of a first visit to the region by President George W. Bush next month, army radio reported on Friday.

Orders have been given to halt construction activity in the settlements of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and the Ariel bloc in the northern West Bank, the radio said citing housing ministry officials.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also gave an undertaking that Israel would invite no new tenders for housing units in settlements in annexed Arab east Jerusalem, the radio said.

The prime minister’s spokesman Mark Regev said Israel had decided to take a series of steps to fulfill its obligations under the roadmap, an internationally drafted peace blueprint that has made next to no progress since its launch in 2003.

It had decided “not to build new settlements,” “not to enlarge the geographic extent of existing settlements,” “not to confiscate private Palestinian land” and “to halt incentives” to Jewish settlers to move to the West Bank.

Olmert however refused to freeze an appeal for bids that had already been issued for new construction in the east Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa, known to the Palestinians as Jebel Abu Ghneim.

That invitation for tenders, which came after the relaunch of peace talks at a conference in the United States in November, infuriated the Palestinians.

But Olmert insisted he would not go back on it because Israel regards east Jerusalem as an integral part of its capital, even though the annexation has never been recognized by the international community.

Since Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, some 470,000 settlers have moved to the territory, 200,000 of them to annexed east Jerusalem.

Palestinian anger over the invitation of new tenders for construction even after November’s U.S. peace conference overshadowed the first two round of talks between the two sides’ negotiating teams.

After talks between Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday both sides sought to draw a line under the row.

“Both parties agreed not to take any steps that may preempt or prejudice the issues reserved for the permanent status negotiations,” including settlements, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told reporters.

A senior Israeli official told journalists that “the issues that have stalled the talks have been defused.

“Both sides have agreed that neither party would take steps that would compromise the ability to reach a final agreement and will not prejudice the outcome of the talks,” the official said.