On the 16th of October 2015, the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” revealed that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ask the Israeli High Court of Justice to allow the Israeli Authorities to relocate the illegal synagogue in the illegal Israeli settlement of “Givat Ze’ev”, northwest of Jerusalem city. The synagogue was built on private Palestinian lands. While on the 17th of November, the Israeli High Court of Justice freeze the demolition of the synagogue, which was supposed to be demolished on the 18th of November 2015, after the Israeli government signed an agreement with the Rabbi of Ayelet HaShachar synagogue to replace the synagogue.
According to the Israeli newspaper the State Prosecutor’s office petitioned to the Israeli High Court on the night of the 16th of November 2015 to postpone the demolition after the Israeli government reached a compromise agreement with the synagogue’s rabbi and worshippers. Where according to the petition the Israeli government argued that “the demolition of the synagogue by using force will lead to bloodshed”.
Therefore and on the 17th of November 2015, the Israeli High Court of Justice approved two-day extension in execution of demolition plan of the synagogue after the court accepted the petition requested by the State Prosecutor’s office, noted that their acceptance depended on the approval of the Palestinian land owners.
Under the aforementioned agreement, the dismantling of the illegal synagogue will begin on the 17th of November 2015, and it will be replaced by a “legal” structure elsewhere in the settlement of Givat Ze’ev. Noted that the Israeli government also promised the settlers to build not only a new synagogue but also a sports facility. The estimated cost of the new synagogue, which will be covered by the Israeli government, reach to 5.2 million Shekels ($1.34 million).
The case of the illegal synagogue in the illegal Israeli settlement of Givat Ze’ev back to the year 2011, when the Yesh Din organization and the Palestinian land owners petitioned to the Israeli High court stating that the Synagogue was built on private Palestinian land, and after several years of court hearing, the court decide in July 2014, to accept the petition and ordered to demolish the synagogue within a year, but the demolition was postponed several times.
However, on the 4th of November 2015, the Israeli High Court of Justice postponed the demolition of the synagogue, again, to the 18th of November 2015, and the postponement was requested by the Jerusalem police, who feared that “demolition of the synagogue would lead to revenge attacks and a further escalation of violence in the area”. [1]
And according to the Israeli newspaper, the Israeli government, will demolish the synagogue, and remove the fence erected around the land and they will allowed the Palestinian land owner to enter their land and use it.
It is worth mentioning that the targeted synagogue so-called “Ayelet HaShachar” was built within the border of the Israeli settlement of Givat Ze’ev, northwest of Jerusalem city, but was built on privately-owned Palestinian land and without building permits from the related Israeli Authorities.
According to an analysis conducted by the GIS department in the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ), showed that not only the synagogue was built on private Palestinian land, but also dozens of housing units and buildings constructed in the Israeli settlement of Giva’at Ze’ev on Palestinian private owned lands. See the map No.1
Furthermore, on the 15th of June 2015, ”Walla” Israeli Hebrew news website, published a report revealed that the Israeli Police station and the fire department in the Israeli settlement of Givat Ze’ev were built on private Palestinian land owned by Palestinians residents from Beituniya town in Ramallah Governorate.[2]
Obviously, the deal reached between the Israeli Supreme Court and the Israeli government about the synagogue would be for the interest of the Israeli settlers and the illegal settlement of Giv’at Ze’ev. While the Israeli government trying to pretend that “Israel” is a state that respect the rule of law, all of the Israeli settlement and outposts in all parts of the Palestinian Territory including the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem are illegal and must be dismantled.
Israel approved the marketing land for the construction of 454 new housing units in two Israeli settlements in Jerusalem city
As a matter of fact ,the Israeli government worked to keep its control over the occupied Palestinian Territory, by building and expanding the Israeli settlements, controlled bypass roads, and the Israeli segregation Wall. And for that on the 17th of November 2015, the Israeli Prime Minister “Benjamin Netanyahu” approved the immediate marketing of lands for the construction of 436 housing units in the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo, north of Jerusalem city, and an additional 18 housing units in Ramot settlement, northwest of Jerusalem city.
Noted that the phrase of “Marketing land” is one step to forward the construction of new housing units, where first, a special committee put the plan, then published the plan for the public to the objections, after that they approved the plan, marketing the land, and then published the tenders … and then construction started by contractors.
In Ramat Shlomo settlement, located in the northern parts of Jerusalem city, the land marketing for the construction of 436 housing units, is a part of the Israeli plan No. 11085 to construct about 1600 housing units, at the southwestern part of the settlement. See the map No.2
Map No.1: the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo
The Israeli Plan No. 11085
The first time the Israeli Authorities announced the plan, were in 2010 during the U.S Vice Presidents Joe Biden visit to Israel, where the plan announcement lead to a diplomatic crisis between the United State of America and Israel.
Furthermore, on the 18th of November 2015, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem requested marketing of a further 1,000 housing units in the Israeli settlement of Ramat Shlomo. Where according to “Yode’out Ahranot” newspaper, the Israeli Chairman of what is so-called “local council for building and planning in Jerusalem“ Meir Turgeman, “has contacted the Prime Minister, calling him to push for the approval of land development for the other 1,000 housing units in Ramat Shlomo, whose building plans have already been approved, but not yet slated for marketing.”
To conclude
All the Israeli settlement and outpost built in the oPt, are illegal and contradicts with the international law rules, and the United Nations Security Council Resolutions:
Resolution 446 March 22, 1979 calls on Israel to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories"
United Nation Security Council Resolution 452 of 1979 “calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab Territories since 1967 including east Jerusalem.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949: 'the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the Territory it occupies.'
The Fourth Geneva Convention in Article 174 also prohibits the 'extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly'.
The Roadmap of Peace signed on April 30, 2003 between Israel and the Palestinians (originally developed by the United States, in cooperation with Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations (the Quartet)) under which the Israeli Government agreed to freeze all settlement, indicated that: The -Government of Israel- immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001, and, consistent with the Mitchell Report, [Government of Israel] freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements).The plan was adopted by the USCR 1515-2003.
[1] http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.684119
[2] https://poica.org/details.php?Article=8058
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
