During the month of August 2015, the Israeli Occupation Authorities carried out demolition campaign against the Palestinian houses and structures in several areas in the occupied West Bank, including east Jerusalem. Where the month of August had witnessed an increase in the number of Palestinian houses and structures that were demolished by the Israeli Authorities under the claim of “build with permit”, leaving tens of families homeless. Moreover , the Palestinian Territory witnessed a drastic increase in the Israeli settlers violence in several parts of the West Bank.
Furthermore ,the Israeli Occupation Army, and on a daily base, stormed several areas in the West Bank and arrested tens of Palestinian young men. Also, during these operations, clashes erupted between Palestinians and the Israeli Army, causing the injury of dozens of Palestinians and sometime Martyrs.
While in Gaza strip, the Israeli Occupation Authorities still grave the truce which they signed it with the Palestinian Factions after the ending of the Israeli war against Gaza strip on the Summer of 2014. Accordingly, the Israeli Army, on a daily base, attacked all the Palestinian areas along side of the border, where they opened fire at Palestinians, houses and land, and also, the Israeli bulldozers staged few meters into Palestinian areas and razed land. It’s worth to mention, that the Israeli Authorities still control over the Gaza strip terminals, and they still prevent the entrances of building materials which needed to rebuild Gaza strip.
The Holy city facing the danger of Judaization .. Israeli plans to build the so-called "Jewel of Israel Synagogue"
Within the Israeli policy to Judaize the Holy city, “Israel” started the temporal division for Al Aqsa mosque, where, during the month of August 2015, the Israeli Authorities prevented tens of Palestinians; especially women, from entering the mosque in the morning and until the afternoon. However, in the same time, the Israeli Authorities allowed the Israeli settlers to storm the mosque and toured in its courtyard. In additional to the tightening the procedures by the Israeli Army at the entrances of Al-Aqsa mosque, which they detained and questioned Palestinians and sometime they arrested them.
Furthermore, the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem prepared to publish tenders to construct a synagogue named “the Jewel of Israel” in the old city of Jerusalem. According to the plan, the new synagogue will consists from 6 floors (its high reach to 23 meters); two floors under the ground, and four floors above the ground, the synagogue area reach to 1400 square meters. The building of the new synagogue will be fund by the Israeli government with total cost of the plan about 50 million Shekel.
And in order to strengthen the Israeli presence in the Holy City, a report showed that an Israeli company is working to development and restoration of “Jewish neighborhood” in the old city of Jerusalem. The company prepared a plan to build a 150-room hotel, parking lot (600 vehicles capacity) and elevator connects the Western wall and the Jewish neighborhood.
These Israeli companies seeking to help the Israeli settlers living in Jerusalem city, and worked to improve the level of well-being in the Israeli settlements in the city. Also the aforementioned companies working for the politically motivated purpose of diverting the Palestinian estates ownership to the Israeli settlers like the rightwing settler organization Ateret Cohanim.
During the month of August 2015, the Ateret Cohanim settlement organization claimed their ownership of three Palestinian houses owned by Abu Nab family in Silwan town, and for that, the Israeli court ordered the family to evacuate their houses to allow the Israeli settlers occupying them. On the other hand Ateret Cohanim organization claimed their ownership of a Palestinian building; consist of 5-floor (12 apartments) in Batten Al Hawa neighborhood in Silwan town, and for that, a group of Israeli settlers escorted by the Israeli Army stormed the building and occupied it.
Israeli government support the presence of Israeli settlers in the oPt
. During the month of August 2015, the Israeli government approved the budget for 2015-2016, and they allocated a special grant of $90 million (about 340 million shekel) to the illegal Israeli settlements, and will be divided equally between the Defense Ministry and the Transport Ministry . The budget specified 14 purposes for which the funds will be used, including road works and road security, development of national parks, access roads, tourism, security provisions for local authorities, public buildings and student villages.
Also, The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem approved a budget of 11.2 million shekels ($2.94 million) to build a mikveh (pool for religious purposes); a Jewish ritual bath, in the Israeli settlement of Ma’aleh Zeitim which located in the heart of the Ras Al Amoud neighborhood in Jerusalem city. And according to the plan, the new Mikveh will be 401 square meters.
On the 13th of August 2015, the JPOST Israeli newspaper published a study prepared by “Macro”- The Center for Political Economics, showed that the education in the Israeli settlements comes at expense of periphery, and according to the study, the State of Israel invests almost double the amount of money on pupils living on the east side of the security fence in the occupied West Bank than those in the periphery.
Furthermore, the Former Israeli Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) chief has called the Israeli government to establish new road network in the occupied West Bank in a way to separate between Palestinians and Israelis. It’s worth to mention that this idea it’s not a new one, where the Israeli Prime Minister; Benyamin Netanyahu, tried to implement a special transportation system for the Palestinians in the West Bank different from the Israeli one.
On other hand, and for the benefit of the Israeli settlers living in the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Efraim, the Israeli Minister of Agriculture; Uri Ariel, is trying to accelerate construction of pre-army religious academy in Ma’aleh Efraim settlement, without following Israeli ” zoning protocols”. Agriculture Minister is pressuring on the council of the settlement of Ma’aleh Efraim to quickly begin the construction on a branch of the pre-army religious academy Bnei David, even though it has no legal permit. Noted that the first pre-army religious academy was established in Eli settlement, and lately, they seek to establish a new one in the Israeli settlement of “Ma’ale Efraim”.
And to embodiment of racism, adopted by the State of Israel's, the President of State of Israel; Reuven Rivlin, said during talks with the Israeli settler leaders, that Israel had a "right" to build settlements in the West Bank, and he added: "I love the land of Israel with all my heart. I have never and will never give up on this land”.
Israel Resume the construction of the Segregation wall on the land of Beit Jala town
On the 17th of August 2015, the Israeli bulldozers started to raze around 30 dunums of land in Beir ‘Uona area in Beit Jala town, west of Bethlehem city. During the operation, the Israeli bulldozers uprooted about 100 olive trees. The razing operation came to complete the construction of a section of the Israeli Segregation wall in the area.
70 Settlers Attacks During the month of August
During the month of August 2015, the Israeli settlers living in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank carried out several attacks against Palestinians and their property, lands and Holy sites. The Applied Research Institute- Jerusalem (ARIJ) documented about 70 attacks carried out by the Israeli settlers against several areas in the occupied West Bank, however, the most of these attacks carried out in Jerusalem Governorate, about 30 attacks, and then in Nablus Governorate, which reach to 17 attacks.
It’s worth to mention that during the month of August 2015, the type of the Israeli settlers attacks changed in a radical way, where the most of the Israeli settlers attacks were against the religious and historic sites, with 24 attacks, while the attacks against Palestinians reach to 22 attacks. It’s worth mentioning that the Israeli attacks against the Palestinians became more aggressive and aimed to inflict as much damage as possible against the Palestinians.
Uprooted, cut and torched 130 trees
The Israeli Occupation bulldozers as well as the Israeli settlers razed and uprooted more than 130 trees from Bethlehem and Nablus Governorates. Where in Bethlehem Governorate, the Israeli bulldozers uprooted about 100 olive trees, while the Israeli settlers torched 30 olive trees in Nablus Governorate.
77 houses and 51 structures were demolished during the month of August 2015
Within the well-known Israeli policies to displace the Palestinians from the occupied territory in implementation of the argument of the "land without a people." The Israeli Occupation Authorities carried out demolition campaign against 128 houses and structures in several areas in the occupied West Bank, especially in the areas classified as “Area C” (according to Oslo Agreement ,1995) which it is under the fully control of the Israeli Occupation Authorities. The Israeli Occupation Authorities claimed that the demolished houses and structures are “illegal” or build without a permits issued from the Israeli Civil Administration.
The demolition campaign focused in Jerusalem Governorate, 45 houses and 20 structures were demolished, where the Israeli Occupation Authorities targeted several areas in Jerusalem, such as, Jabal Al Mukabbir, Silwan, Beit Hanina and the Bedouin communities living in lands which the Israeli Authorities planned to implement the E1 project, these land located east of Al Eaziriya town, in additional to the demolition process that carried out against a Bedouin community in Jaba village, where about 25 structures and houses were demolished.
While in Tubas and the northern parts of the Jordan Valley, the Israeli Authorities demolished 12 houses and 12 structures, And it’s important to mention that the areas in the northern of Jordan valley area exposed systematically to the demolition process, under the claim that these area classified by the Israeli Authorities as “closed military area”, where the Palestinians deprive from existing in these lands.
Israeli orders to demolish 60 Palestinian houses and structures
The Israeli Occupation Authorities issued demolition orders that targeted Palestinian houses and structures, where during the month of August 2015, the Israeli Civil Administration issued about 64 demolition orders.
These orders distributed on three Palestinian Governorates: in Jerusalem Governorate 35 orders were issued, Hebron Governorate they issued 24 orders and in Tubas Governorate they issued about 5 demolition orders.
And again, the Israeli Authorities claimed that they issued the demolition orders for “illegal” houses and structures; which means that they were built without permits . In general, the issued demolition orders gave the owners of the targeted houses and structures a chance (a period of time) to get a permit for their structures from the Israeli Authorities, but in the most of the time, the Israeli Army demolished the houses and structures before the ending of this period, and this what happened to the Palestinians who lives near Al Hamra military checkpoint, east of Tubas city. where on the 10th of August 2015, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed over military orders to demolish three houses in the aforementioned area, and gave the Palestinians 10 days to evacuate the houses, however, on the morning of 11th of August 2015, the Israeli bulldozers escorted by the Israeli Occupation Army stormed the area and demolished the three houses.
Furthermore, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed out a military order to uproot trees planted in 14 dunums of land in Tubas Governorate, where they claimed that the targeted land classified as “Nature Reserve” and for that the trees should be uprooted!!!
Also, and in Tubas Governorate, the Israeli Authorities issued orders to evacuate 14 Palestinian families living at Ras Al Hamra area , under the claim of “Israeli military trainings”, which will be carried out by the Israeli Army at the beginning of September 2015.
To conclude, the collusion between the Israeli Authorities and their settlers and the colonial organizations, aims to strengthen the Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, where the Israeli Right- wing Government harnessing all their efforts to support the Israeli settlers and settlement enterprise in the oPt
The Israeli Government is moving forward in achieving its colonial projects which destroyed any real opportunity to establish “State of Palestine”, deliberately, ignoring the international community demands which seeks to revive the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
