The Israeli Government and Settlers Using False Documents to Seize Palestinian Land

Under the Israeli Ministers of Finance and Housing’s directions, the Israeli “Tvahot Bank” granted financial loans to the Amana Settlement Company estimated at NIS 5,000,000,000, where these funds were used to build housing units and buildings in the 2 randomly built settlements of Amona and Megron outposts . Documents of the loans showed that the Amana Company has mortgaged a private Palestinian land, which the Israeli High Court recently confirmed that the land is a Palestinian properties, and that the Amana has nor rights to deal with it, and it provided false statements to the bank signed by the settler, Ze'ev Hever, Chairman of Amana Company and its General-Manager, Dov Markovic.

Within the context, the National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements demanded the UN and its institutions, and International Financial Institutes to follow-up this flagrant violation of international law, and to hold accountable those responsible and to impose sanctions on the Israeli banking system and the Israeli banks involved in it as well as all organizations that provide financial facilities to the settlers and the settlements.  On the other hand, the Israeli Minister of justice, Aielet Shaked, and minister of education, leader of the" Jewish Home Party Naphtali Bennett assured that their government has decided to establish a new settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, under the pretext of sheltering settlers of Amona, and that they are committed to the agreement signed with them. A number of members of the Likud Party encouraged the Israeli PM to build more settlements.  The 250 members asked the Israeli government to intensify construction in the West Bank and the Jordan Va
lley settlement in parallel with the calls launched by the Occupation Minister of Environment, Ze'ev Elkin during a conference held in Jerusalem under the title “miracle of sovereignty,” i.e. full Israeli sovereignty on the West Bank.

Within the context of the annexation calls that circulated among the Israeli right-wing members, the Green Israel Women Organization led by the Belgian extremist settler, Nadia Matar, in her annual conference named “Applying full Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, which was held in the Plaza Hotel, with the participants of several ministers and parliamentarians from the Occupation State of Israel, and head of bar-Ilan University and leaders of the settlers in the West Bank. The conference discussed the right of settlers to full sovereignty over the West Bank, the status of the Arab minority in the State of Greater Israel, the status of the Palestinian Authority, and the attitude of the peace activists and the “rioters” i.e the leftist groups and foreign activists as the settlers named them, who resist the occupation and settlement.  Moreover, during the conference, the Israeli president, Reuven Rivlin called for imposing Israeli sovereignty over settlement blocs in the occupied Palestinian territories, a
nd to grant Israeli citizenship to the Palestinians living in the outskirts of the settlements.

Head of the Jewish Home Party, and Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett continued launching statements rejecting the settlement of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, saying that the Palestinians have 2 states, Gaza and Jordan, calling for intensifying settlement construction saying, we are entering a new era of opportunity, and now we have to build freely in Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank as he claimed. The Israeli Transportation Minister, Yisrael Katz announced that he will name the highway train that connects the western entrance of Jerusalem with the Al-Buraq area as “The Wailing and Temple Station” in response to a request made by the alleged temple organizations. 

The following Violations were documented by the National Bureau over the last week:

Jerusalem: 

The Israeli occupation municipality in Jerusalem decides to confiscate a 300 sq.m. land belonging to Ghozlan and Abbasi families at Al-Ein St. in the Silwan town, under the pretext of converting it to “public benefit”. The municipality crews stormed the city and put a banner in Arabic and Hebrew, reading “gardening works … empty land, with a map showing the pinches of the land. The Israeli occupation municipality in Jerusalem notified to evacuate a Palestinian land in Al-Aqaba neighborhood in the Beit Hanina town, north of the Jerusalem city. The municipality ordered all Palestinian families, whose houses were demolished there to evacuate their belongings from the lands to build a school in the site. Moreover, the crews fenced a 15 donums there to be used for building a municipal school, without disclosing any details related to the matter.  Qaraeen family destroyed a store in Silwan by a decision taken by the Jerusalem municipality in order to avoid paying fines. The Jerusalemite, Maher Al-Khatib, demolished 
his 20-m office-room in Hizma village northeast of Jerusalem, forced by the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem, who handed him over a demolition order a few days ago, under the pretext of being unlicensed. 

Israeli occupation bulldozers in Jerusalem accompanied by police and border guards have demolished 2 houses under construction in the Issawiya town, belonging to Mustafa family, under the pretext of building without a license. Occupation municipality crews also distributed 17 demolition orders of residential facilities and a store in the Silwan town under the same pretext, belonging to the families of Al-Rwaidy, Al-Abbasi, A-Shlodi and Hamdan, sheltering 118 people, mostly women and children.

According to the National Bureau’s information, the “Elad” settlement Association is planning to expand its operations in east Jerusalem, specifically in Silwan, and that the Association is trying to get a foothold in the so-called “archaeological park” near the Wailing Wall, and the government adviser, Ovija Mandelblt heading to suggest a hand for “Elad” in the place.

Ramallah: The Israeli occupation authorities issued an order to confiscate a Palestinian land belonging to Beitounia town near Ramallah to be used for military purposes. Mayor of Beitonia said that the occupation authorities have renewed the order to confiscate scores of donums from the town.

Hebron: a settler ran over a man named, Ra’fat Moh’d Shehadeh Al-Masalmeh, 36 years in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. In another incident, the Israeli occupation forces accompanied by Civil Administration’s crew photographed new facilities belonging to citizens in Yatta city, south of Hebron. Moreover, settlers assaulted and harassed Palestinian citizens in different parts of Hebron governorate, and they chanted anti-arab slogans.

Nablus: settlers gangs escorted by Israeli occupation soldiers stormed the archaeological area in the Sebastia town, thus, confrontations took place between the Palestinian youth at the town and them.  In Aqraba town, settlers attacked citizens in the town, whereas the occupation authorities issued orders to ban building of houses in the Qusra town, south of Nablus under the pretext of being located in C area. Israeli occupation forces prevented people from Rojeeb village east of Nablus to dispose their garbage in the damp of the town being classified as C areas, too.  In Nablus also, the Israeli authorities published on Friday morning, a declaration of approval to transfer some agricultural lands of the Jalod village to serve the settlers.  The Jalod Municipality’s Council, explained that the so-called Civil-Military Administration – The Higher Planning Council / The sub-settlement Regional Committee decided to change the status of agricultural land into a residential area for the establishment of commercial 
buildings and opening new settlement roads.

Salfit:  citizens and farmers from the Kafr Al-Dik, Broqin, Haris, Kifl Haris, Sarta and Qarawa Bani Hassan expressed their fears of the accelerated settlement bulldozing in the lands west of Salfit to extend the railway between Tel Aviv and the Ariel settlement, where several bulldozers are settling the land near the town, thus, more than 8,000 donums are located between the 2 bypass roads.

Jordan Valley: within the context of imposing restrictions by the Israeli occupation forces on the Palestinian citizens in areas north of the Jordan Valley, the occupation seized a private vehicle belonging to a Palestinian citizen. They also seized 400 meter water-hoses in Bokia area south of the Tubas city that was used for irrigating agricultural crops.  The Israeli occupation forces also handed over orders to stop work on the construction of abut 16 facilities i.e. barracks and homes in the Hmasa Al-Foqa area, the orders expired by Feb. 26th, 2017, noting that these facilities shelter 7 families.

Shepherds and farmers at Khirbat Al-Mzoqah were brutally harassed and chased by the extremist settlers and the Israeli police as well as the so-called the Israeli Environmental Protection Unit, as they were picking some season plant in the area, to be used in their cooking meal.