Israel seizes large areas of land near J'lem to complete separation wall

[ 09/03/2011 - 09:55 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

The Israeli occupation Land-Grab army has confiscated 480,000 sq. meters of land in the town of Abu Dis near Jerusalem to be used in completing the separation wall, the Abu Dis land defense committee said.

The construction will destroy the historically-recognized Jerusalem-Jericho path and turn large swaths of land over to Israel to be used to build the apartheid wall that would isolate the area from the rest of the West Bank.

According to the defense committee, the wall's primary objective is not security, but rather to seize land and isolate the West Bank from Jerusalem and expand the settlements.

Board chairman Attorney Bassem Bahr said the wall will be erected to the east of Abu Dis, which would split the West Bank north and south and separate the two areas from the Jerusalem region. He added that the wall will separate the north and south West Bank.

1,000 Palestinians take to the streets after Lod home demolition

[ 09/03/2011 - 09:59 AM ]

NAZARETH, (PIC)--

More than a thousand Palestinians gathered for protests in front of the municipal building in the occupied city of Lod Tuesday night.

It was the thirteenth time they demonstrated against demolitions of seven homes owned by the Abu Eid family four months back.

They raised signs reading: ”no to demolition” and ”no to taking away our right to live in dignity.”

Israel has been trying to displace Lod's once majorly Arab population since its violent occupation of the city in 1948.

Lod Residents Protest Home Demolitions

Wednesday March 09, 2011 12:08 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian Arab residents of Lod held a massive protest, on Tuesday at night, in support of Abu Eid family that lost its seven homes after the Israeli occupation government demolished them four months ago.

The protest was held in front of the Lod city Council. At least a 100 residents participated in the protest carrying signs that read “no to home demolitions”, “No to stripping human beings from their right to live in dignity”, and other signs calling for equal rights.

The Lod City Council has recently stepped-up its violations against Arab natives of the city by presenting and conducting plans that do not serve the needs and interests of the Arab citizens.

Arab areas in Israel are largely underdeveloped due to Israel’s policy that refrains from conducting development projects that would improve their economy and living conditions, while local authorities are reluctant about approving the construction of new homes and facilities for the Arabs population in the city.

Al-Arakib Demolished Yet Again

Wednesday March 09, 2011 12:49 by David Steele - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

The Alternative Information Centre reports that al-Arakib village has been demolished again by Israeli occupation forces.

Four huts, which were being used for village meetings, were demolished on Monday by JNF (Jewish National Fund) bulldozers. The village has been demolished many times since July 2010. When the demolitions first began, villagers and volunteers would attempt to rebuild homes immediately afterwards.

More recently, Israeli authorities have removed even the remains of homes, rendering reconstruction all but impossible. Today, the villagers live in temporary structures in the village cemetery. The Israeli state attorney has recently announced plans to fine the villagers over NIS 1million for the cost of demolishing their homes.

The village is not recognized by the Israeli state. Al-Arakib has been fighting an ongoing battle for recognition since the establishment of Israel in 1948. Although the villagers have land deeds and receipts of paid taxes dating back to Ottoman times, the Israeli authorities do not accept these as valid. The fate of al-Arakib is indicative of a wider problem in Israel, and particularly for its Bedouin community, the majority of whom live in the Negev.

Over 110,000 Bedouin live in so-called ‘unrecognized villages’, many of which – like al-Arakib – significantly pre-date the state of Israel itself. Unrecognized villages are not entitled to services that the state provides to recognized settlements, notably water and sewage services, electricity, roads and educational provision.

Problems for villages like al-Arakib are likely to intensify as the JNF’s operation “Blueprint Negev” continues. Al-Arakib is being demolished in order to facilitate the JNF’s tree-planting operations there.