Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Read in This Issue
FEATURED STORY
P6 Israeli settlers, soldiers break into Aqsa compound
Gaza donations fall way short of pledges
Israel Insider
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P4
P8
Palestinian factions call on PA to cancel gas agreement with Israel
40% of new Israeli immigrants consider returning to country of origin
P 18 18,000 Palestinians Trapped in alYarmouk at Midst of Snowstorm: No Food, No Heating
Articles & Analyses
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P 16 Israel detains Palestinian girl in West Bank 2
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The settler organisations appropriating Palestinian land and property in East Jerusalem
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CONTENTS
Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
FEATURED STORY Gaza donations fall way short of pledges
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News of Palestine Palestinian factions call on PA to cancel gas agreement with Israel 163 administrative detention orders issued since beginning of 2015 Settlers uproot 550 olive tree saplings Israeli settlers, soldiers break into Aqsa compound Israeli forces open fire at farmers near Gaza border
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Israel Insider 40% of new Israeli immigrants consider returning to country of origin Hamas: Blair visited Gaza to demand new preconditions A decade of anti-wall struggle Gaza start-ups aim to break the siege Israel detains Palestinian girl in W. Bank Israel detains 14 Palestinians in W. Bank 18,000 Palestinians Trapped in al-Yarmouk at Midst of Snowstorm: No Food, No Heating 18 Killing by another means Articles & Analyses The settler organisations appropriating Palestinian land and property in East Jerusalem
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Featured Story
Gaza donations fall way short of pledges
19 Feb 2015
$500 million and $200 million each, ahead of the Only about five percent of money pledged to conference. rebuild Gaza, after it was devastated by Israel’s The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Boerge Brende, deadly assault last year, has reached Gaza, hu- said the delay in delivering on the pledges was manitarian news service IRIN has said. linked to the drop in oil prices. A source at the office of the Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, told IRIN on Monday that “approximately $300m” had been received for reconstruction efforts after $5.4bn had been pledged to assist relief efforts.
Earlier in February, Egypt, and Norway urged donors to keep their promises and to fulfil their pledges after the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in late January it had “exhausted all funding to support repairs and rental More than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, subsidies” in Gaza. were killed during the Israeli incursion. At least Six months after a ceasefire was signed, families 100,000 homes were destroyed. were still staying in temporary facilities, the UN Countries around the globe had pledged $5.4bn said.
at a conference held in Cairo in October 2014 The UN also said that virtually none of the promfor the reconstruction, development and aid pro- ised aid had reached Gaza, describing the delay cess towards rebuilding Gaza. as “distressing and unacceptable”. Among the biggest pledges came from the Gulf. “It is unclear why this funding has not been forthQatar had promised around $1bn, while Saudi coming,” the UNRWA said. Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pledged 19 Feb 2015 4
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Palestinian factions call on PA to cancel gas agreement with Israel
Five Palestinian factions yesterday demanded the Palestinian unity government cancel the gas agreement signed with Israel early last month, the Anadolu Agency reported.
leads to deepening Palestinian economic dependency on the Israeli economy, at a time when the objective is to strengthen Palestinian economic independence,” it said.
A joint statement signed by the Popular Fronts, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the People’s Party, the National Initiative and the Palestinian Democratic Union said: “The agreement signed by the Palestinian government earlier this year to import gas from Israel provokes widespread public outrage and opposes Palestinian public opinion.”
The factions called on the government to cancel the agreement which they described as “degrading”, and to hold those who signed it accountable since they did not present it to the competent legislative bodies to ratify it. The statement stressed on the need to “stop similar reckless decisions which violently shake the credibility of the national positions which aim to face the Israeli occupation and impose international isolation on it and hold its leaders accountable for the war crimes they commit against the Palestinian people.”
The statement pointed out that the agreement, which extends for 20 years, disregards the national efforts that have been agreed upon which call to resort to the international community in order to end the Israeli occupation Earlier this year the Palestinian Energy Miniswithin a timeframe that does not exceed two ter Omar Katana signed a preliminary agreeyears. ment to import 4.75 billion cubic meters of “The agreement in its current draft allows the natural gas from Israel to the Palestinian terIsraeli gas companies to become a partner ritories for 20 years at the cost of $1.2 billion. in the Jenin power plant which will generate 20 Feb. 2015 Source: MEMO power for the north of the West Bank which
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
News of Palestine
163 administrative detention orders issued since beginning of 2015
Approximately 163 administrative detention orders have been issued against Palestinian prisoners since the beginning of 2015, the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies said in a report on Friday. The human rights center pointed out that Israeli authorities had escalated its administrative detention policy during last year, where 1046 administrative detention orders were issued.
The periods of administrative detentions since Jabari for three months. January of the current year were between two The center appealed to the international comto six months. munity to put an end to the administrative deThe center also said that Israeli authorities re- tention policy pursued by Israel against the newed the administrative detention of six Pal- Palestinians in violation of the international estinian lawmakers and former minister Isaa law. 20 Feb. 2015 Source: PIC
Settlers uproot 550 olive tree saplings
Israeli settlers, soldiers break into Aqsa compound
A group of Israeli settlers from the Asfar (Metzad) settlement, to the east of the town of Al Shuyoukh, uprooted 550 olive tree saplings on Tuesday night and ran away. Activist Ahmed Halayka said that the land is owned by Abdel Kader and Moussa Abu Shanab Al-Ayayda and located in the area of Zaafaran, where the Asfar settlement was established. The land’s owners, Al-Halayka noted, were shocked yesterday morning to see their trees, which had been planted around a week earlier, uprooted.
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MEMO
They said that some 58 Israeli settlers raided the mosque compound through the Moroccan Gate under the protection of Israeli police and toured the area.
touring the compound to secure the way for settlers. The Israeli police continue to impose restrictions on women and youths entering the compound.
A Palestinian woman from JerusaSome 20 Israeli army members lem was banned from entering for also toured the al-Aqsa com- 15 days. She was delivered an order pound as a “military tour.” banning her from entering al-Aqsa afOnlookers said that an Israeli ter being detained for several hours police member pushed a Pal- by the Israeli police. estinian girl to the ground while 20 Feb. 2015 Source: Ma’an
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Israeli forces open fire at farmers near Gaza border
Israeli forces on Wednesday evening opened fire at Palestinian farmers near the border east of the town of al-Maghazi in the central Gaza Strip.
assault extended between 500 meters and 1,500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza’s Witnesses said that Israeli soldiers stationed total land area and 35 percent of its agriculturat the border opened fire at the farmers as al land were within the buffer zone as of 2010, they were standing in their farmland, forcing directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gazans. them to flee the area. An Israeli military spokeswoman did not return During the war, the buffer zone covered nearly half of the entire Gaza Strip, but immedia call seeking comment. Witnesses told Ma’an that similar shooting in- ately following the cessation of hostilities was cidents have recently been occurring on an al- reduced to former levels, with promises that it would be pulled back further. most daily basis along the Gaza border. Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on Palestinian civilians near the border in the five months since the signing of a ceasefire agreement that ended a more than 50-day assault by Israel on Gaza that left around 2,200 dead and 11,000 injured. The attacks come despite Israeli promises at the end of the ceasefire that restrictions on Palestinian access to the border region would be lessened. The “security buffer zone” before the Israeli
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The border restrictions are part of Israel’s broader siege on the Gaza Strip in place for the last eight years, which largely prohibits both imports and exports and has led to a severe collapse in the tiny coastal enclave’s economy. The blockade has led to frequent humanitarian crises for Gazans, and the UN and various human rights groups have repeatedly called on Israel to lift it.
18 Feb. 2015
Source: Ma’an |
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Israeli Insider
40% of new Israeli immigrants consider returning to country of origin
Six out of 10 new immigrants, or olim, polled responded that the primary barrier to employment in Israel is a lack of knowledge regarding the Israeli job market.
mary barrier to employment in Israel is a lack of knowledge regarding the Israeli job market, with an additional 28% citing language difficulties.
An overwhelming majority of 88% said having good personal connections is the primary factor involved in obtaining a Around 40 percent of recent immi- job in the country while only 24% said that this is the case grants to Israel consider returning abroad. to their countries of origin, accord- A quarter of those polled stated that the most important ing to a study carried out by Gva- move in integrating into the local job market is involvement him, a nongovernmental organiza- in government sponsored training programs. Some 22% tion that works for the integration said there needs to be “a change of attitude by employers of immigrant academics. The NGO regarding hiring olim,” while one in five called for a provision surveyed 300 new arrivals, 59% of of incentives for hiring immigrants. from the United States and France. “The survey’s findings indicate that the olim population faces Six out of 10 new immigrants, or specific difficulties in their integration into the Israeli job marolim, polled responded that the pri- ket,” said Gvahim CEO Gali Shahar. “In view of the recent 8
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015 waves of anti-Semitism in Europe, the task of finding a livelihood for the thousands of olim expected to arrive in Israel becomes a national challenge, which requires the participation of all the bodies involved, government ministries, the business sector and employers from other sectors.” The government is working on guidelines for easing the transition for accredited professionals. Last week the cabinet approved a NIS 180 million aliya plan for France, Belgium and Ukraine and within the next month, the Economy Ministry is expected to complete an inquiry into recognizing the French BTS higher technicians’ degree. Speaking with The Jerusalem Post last week, Dr. Dov Maimon, a French expert who authored the proposal of the Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem, said that the government plan lacked such elements as tax incentives for companies that relocate as well as provisions for business incubators and temporary work permits for physicians and other professionals. In a statement on Sunday, JPPI president Avinoam Bar-Yosef called the initiative a “positive step in the right direction,” but said that it “takes into account less than onethird of those eligible to make aliya from Western Europe,” including 120,000 French and Belgian Jews who he described as “strong candidates for aliya.” “The cabinet decision does not
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take into account JPPI’s recommendation to establish a special administrative unit within the Prime Minister’s Office to oversee and coordinate efforts among the various government agencies involved such a process. Furthermore, the plan does not mention JPPI’s recommendation to encourage and assist in transferring Jewish-French owned business and investments to Israel, [and] to create appropriate places of employment for the French-speaking new immigrants,” he said. In response to the Gvahim poll, Avi Zana, who heads the French immigration promotion organization Ami Israel, told the Post that just because a high percentage of immigrants think about emigration is not an indicator of a high rate of return. Citing statistics that 75% of French Jews have thought about emigrating while the actual number that leaves is much lower, Zana said that 40% of new arrivals considering leaving “doesn’t mean they are going to come back.” Economic integration is easier for French Jews than Americans, because many find work telecommuting or even flying back-and-forth between the two countries, he added. “As increasing numbers of Jews leave Europe, we have a unique opportunity to draw unprecedented aliya from Western countries to Israel. In order to do so, however, we must demonstrate that we are serious about helping new immigrants build their lives here,” Jewish Agency spokesman Avi Mayer commented. “We welcome the government’s most recent steps to ease new immigrants’ integration into the Israeli workforce. At the same time, we call for the development of a comprehensive national aliya strategy in order to ensure that Israel remains the No. 1 choice for Jewish emigrants from Europe and around the world.”
Source: JP |
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Hamas: Blair visited Gaza to demand new preconditions
Deputy head of Hamas Mousa Abu Marzouk says the last visit to Gaza by international Quartet envoy Tony Blair came to notify the Hamas movement of a new set of preconditions before the war-torn coastal enclave could be rebuilt. In a statement posted on Facebook, Abu Marzouk said that Blair’s remarks were completely different from what he used to propose when he served as the UK prime minister.
already signed, but rather he spoke of appropriate preconditions,” argued Abu Marzouk. Blair is now talking about five new preconditions to be imposed on Hamas before Gaza reconstruction and improvement to the living conditions, the official said. “He is now using the tragedy inflicted on Gaza by the Zionist enemy who demolished Gaza houses leaving children in the open.” Blair’s five new preconditions, says Abu Marzouk, include Palestinian reconciliation, a Palestinian political program based on a Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders, and confirmation that Hamas is a Palestinian movement seeking to achieve Palestinian goals rather than being part of an Islamic movement with regional dimensions.
“In January 2009, Blair admitted he was mistaken and explained then that Hamas was a major player in the conflict and in the peace process. He didn’t then talk about the Quartet’s three preconditions of recognition of He also says Blair wants approval that the two-state Israel, renouncing violence and ac- solution is a final solution to the conflict and a recepting what the Palestinians have assuring message to Egypt that Hamas won’t be a 10
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
base for “terrorism in Sinai” and that it would hold talks with the Egyptian government to “prevent terrorism.” In response to the alleged preconditions, the Hamas official said his movement is a Palestinian, Arab and Islamic resistance movement. Its goals are to achieve the Palestinian people’s aspirations of return, freedom and liberation, and its top priorities “at this stage” are reconciliation, ending inter-Palestinian dispute and unity of all the Palestinians wherever they live. Furthermore, Hamas looks forward to operating within a national Palestinian consensus whose goals are withdrawal of Israeli occupation from the West Bank and Jerusalem and establishment of an independent Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem. Hamas, according to Abu Marzouk, is using all available means to achieve those goals and to have distinguished relations with all Arab countries especially with Egypt. Palestinian reconciliation has already been accomplished, added Abu Marzouk, confirming that his movement is willing to put into effect every single term of the reconciliation agreement. The question is, said Abu Marzouk, would Israel accept a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders? Would they accept to evacuate the West Bank settlements and stop seizing lands there? Or is it still looking forward to expanding even beyond the West Bank so as to “devour” the West Bank and impose facts on the ground? he asked sarcastically. With regard to Hamas’ insistence that it doesn’t have regional plans, the Hamas official said such an assumption would need evidence that the movement has political programs and agendas in that direction. “Where are such agendas and programs?!” he wondered. Abu Marzouk also commented on the two-state solution as a final solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and confirmed that Hamas “won’t agree to sign” an agreement that “confiscates the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people.” He finally reiterated that it was indisputable that Hamas cared about Egypt’s security and stability and would never intervene in Egyptian internal affairs.
18 Feb. 2015
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Source: Ma’an
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
A decade of anti-wall struggle
This year marks the 10th anniversary of weekly demonstrations against the Israeli Separation Wall in the West Bank village of Bilin. That’s more than 500 Friday protests since Palestinians, usually accompanied by international and Israeli solidarity activists, began marching towards the barrier that divides their village. On the other side of the wall lies the Israeli settlement of Modiin Illit. Like all settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, it is considered illegal under international law. In 2007, an Israeli high court decision ordered the military to change the initial route of the wall, which had claimed more than half of the village’s lands. The army did not comply until four years later, but even the alternate route of the barrier deviates substantially from the Green Line, as does 85 percent of the wall’s route inside the West Bank. Even this limited success came at a high price. Two of the village’s residents were killed in protests, and hundreds of protesters have been 12
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injured. In 2009, an Israeli soldier fatally shot Bassem Abu Rahmah in the chest with a highvelocity tear gas projectile. His death was captured on video and appeared in the Oscar-nominated documentary Five Broken Cameras. A memorial garden of flowers planted in tear gas bombs was planted last year on the spot where he died. His sister, Jawaher Abu Rahmah died from tear gas inhalation following a protest on New Year’s Eve 2010. Recently, one of the protest’s main leaders, Abdullah Abu Rahmah, once again faced an Israeli military court where he was accused of “ideological crimes” for his role in organising the demonstrations. Under Israeli military law, any demonstration by Palestinians in the West Bank is illegal whether nonviolent or otherwise. Abdullah has already spent 15 months in prison for organising “illegal demonstrations” and “incitement”.
16 Feb. 2015
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Gaza start-ups aim to break the siege
While tensions run high in the Palestinian enclave, so do the hopes and ambitions of Gaza’s young entrepreneurs. Maryam Abu Eatewi, 25, sits at a wooden desk with a group of other young women, typing on a laptop with her full attention focused on the screen in front of her. The room is filled with colourful drawings representing the women’s successes and, in some cases, their dreams of leaving Gaza. The women are working on a variety of projects; in Abu Eatewi’s case, she recently designed and launched a mobile app called Wasselni, a carpool and taxiordering network. Although there were concerns at the outset that such an application may not work in Gaza due to a lack of necessary infrastructure, Abu Eatewi says it has proved to be a success, attracting nearly 1,000 users. “We sponsor events and ask people to use 14
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our application to get to the event place or when they leave,” she told Al Jazeera. Gaza is a particularly tough market due to the long-standing Israeli siege and frequent conflict in the region. Abu Eatewi, who is currently unable to travel outside of Gaza, says she has been looking for partners outside of the besieged territory to help her business grow. Abu Eatewi was the first woman to have a start-up business funded in Gaza, with the help of Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG), an offshoot of the humanitarian group Mercy Corps, which invests in local digital entrepreneurs. GSG’s offices are colourful, filled with sketches and notes from young people about their dreams and achievements. There is a space for young entrepreneurs like Abu Eatewi to work freely, as if it were their own office. “We have an open office that provides everything the entrepreneur needs, which made them believe in us,” Saeed Abdel Rahman, GSG’s outreach and executive manager, told Al Jazeera. So far, the organisation has worked with about 2,800 entrepreneurs, Abdel Rahman said. Funded by Google for three years ending in 2014, GSG recently
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015 launched a crowd-funding campaign - Gaza Starts - that has successfully raised more than $250,000 towards their $500,000 goal. “We only had two options: to close and end our services or to continue and start this campaign,” Abdel Rahman said. In the small, densely populated Gaza Strip, there are many entrepreneurs who started from scratch. From its humble beginnings in a single room containing two IT graduates, Unit One has since expanded into a sizable business. In a building overlooking Gaza’s seaport, Unit One has two offices: one for male and one for female employees. All work busily at their laptops, while cofounder and executive manager Saady Luzon gives instructions. Founded in 2005, Unit One provides software development and business process outsourcing for clients from the United States, Europe and Gulf countries. Luzon says the company’s goal is to put Gaza on the map for exporting technology information services, and to prove to the world that Gaza is not just a place of war and divisive politics. “Competencies in Gaza are very high but [there needs to be] job opportunities,” Luzon said, citing a significant number of unemployed IT graduates from Gaza universities. The 2014 war cost Unit One financially, as it lost some contracts with big companies and consequently had to lay off some employees. “We kind of lost some of the clients’ trust, but we managed to regain it, and we now have more than 200 clients,” said Luzon’s 34-year-old partner, Hussam Abu Shabaan. “People look at Gaza as a disaster zone while in fact Gaza needs trade, not aid,” Luzon added. Meanwhile, another group of young people called Diwan Ghazza gathers at one of Gaza’s hotels overlooking the Mediterranean. The group is composed of a number of smaller clubs, focusing on a wide variety of subjects: English and Arabic books, cinema, photography, astronomy, debate and more. The initiative started several years ago after an event called “Tweet Up Gaza”, in which 30 local Twitter personalities gathered to discuss ideas and methods of filling the “cultural vacuum” in Gaza, said Diwan Ghazza cofounder Yasmeen al-Khoudary, 25. The idea was to organise free events that could run solely on the passion and energy of those involved. Khoudary told Al Jazeera that their biggest success has been in attracting people from very different backgrounds and beliefs. “Our [club] activities have united them,” she said. Diwan Ghazza has hosted famous writers, activists and scientists physically or through Skype, but their inability to host many guests from outside the Gaza Strip has been their biggest challenge. “There is a difficulty of exchanging ideas physically, on a personal level,” Khoudary said. “We’re limited to online exchanges.”
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Al Jazeera
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Israel detains Palestinian girl in W. Bank
The Israeli army on Tuesday detained a young Palestinian girl in the occupied West Bank, eyewitnesses have said. Shaimaa Emeireh was detained when the truck she was riding in crossed an Israeli security checkpoint between the Ramallah and Nablus provinces, witnesses said. Army troops took Emeireh from the truck and handcuffed her before taking her to an undisclosed location, they added. The Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the reported detention. Over 7,000 Palestinians – including 20 women – are currently languishing in prisons throughout Israel, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs. 17 Feb. 2015 16
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World bulletin
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Israel detains 14 Palestinians in W. Bank
The Israeli army has detained 14 Palestinians in overnight raids in the West Bank, the military said Thursday. The army said on Twitter that the detainees were suspected of taking part in riots and committing “acts of terror” against Israeli civilians and security forces in the West Bank. The Israeli army did not say where exactly the arrests were made. However, eyewitnesses told The Anadolu Agency that Israeli army troops detained several Palestinians in Nablus and Al-Khalil after raiding their homes. Israeli forces routinely round up groups of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on claims they are “wanted” by the Israeli authorities. Over 7,000 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli prisons, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs. 19 February 2015
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
18,000 Palestinians Trapped in al-Yarmouk at Midst of Snowstorm: No Food, No Heating
About 18,000 Palestinians are currently trapped in the besieged alYarmouk refugee camp in the south neighborhood of Damascus, with no sufficient food supplies and heating sources, according to the UNRWA. The international agency said it was alarmed and concerned by the grave deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Yarmouk, caused by a recent upsurge of armed conflict in the area. With winter weather set to continue for several months, and with no access to regular food supplies, clean water, health care, electricity or heating fuel, says UNRWA, Yarmouk’s civilian population of some 18,000 is at the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. “To know what it is like in Yarmouk, turn off your electricity, water, heating, eat once a day, live in the dark, live by burning wood,” Anas, a resident of al-Yarmouk was quoted by
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the UNRWA. UNRWA’s spokesperson, Chris Gunness, said, “Over the previous two months, Yarmouk and its surrounding areas have seen a serious escalation in armed conflict, including frequent exchanges of fire and the use of heavy weapons, which have persistently disrupted the distribution of life-saving humanitarian aid to the 18,000 civilians trapped in the area.” “UNRWA remains deeply concerned that no successful distribution has been completed since 6 December 2014,” he added. “To stop the suffering of Yarmouk’s civilians, UNRWA calls for this level of cooperation to resume, for the immediate cessation of armed hostilities in and around Yarmouk, and for all concerned parties to act in ways that promote the protection of Yarmouk’s civilians and give the utmost priority to their humanitarian needs.” Prior to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, al-Yarmouk had a population of over one million Palestinian refugees. Later, the camp started to shrink in population gradually as fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s loyal forces and dissent came to a point of no return. February 19, 2015
WAFA
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015
Articles & Analyses
The settler organisations appropriating Palestinian land and property in East Jerusalem 20 February 2015
Despite the Laban family’s status as protected tenants, a court Jessica Purkiss order arrived in 2010 stating When Israeli settlers turned that the Israeli General Custodiup at Rafat Sub Laban’s fam- an had transferred control of the ily home last week it was not property to the notorious settler entirely unexpected. The set- organization Ateret Cohanimtlers had arrived with a lawyer who had filed an eviction order. to demand the family vacate the Protected tenancy was a status property immediately. The Sub granted to certain East JerusaLabans have been embroiled in lem Palestinians who had had a legal battle to hold onto their rental agreement with the Jorhouse for decades. As Pales- danian Custodian for “Enemy tinian residents of East Jerusa- Property” (property previously lem, their battle is by no means inhabited by Jewish residents) unique. prior to the Israeli occupation of In the 1980s the family needed East Jerusalem in 1967. After to hold some maintenance work 1967, the management of these but the Israeli custodian barred properties was taken over by it, forcing them relocate to an- the Israeli General Custodian, other house in Jerusalem. Soon who continued the rental agreeafter that, all the Sub Laban’s ments with the Palestinian famiPalestinian neighbours in the lies. building were evicted and Israeli Jewish settlers have made use settlers replaced them- subse- of a 1970 Israeli law that alquently blocking the entrance lows Israelis to reclaim East of their house. In order to gain Jerusalem properties that, prior access, Rafat says: “My family to 1948, were owned by Jews started a legal battle that went and abandoned when the city on for over 20 years in Israeli was divided. Heirs to the origicourts.” Their success in the nal land can make a legal claim courts in 2000 did not spell an and—theoretically—take it back end to the family’s battle- the and evict the residents. Tenants settlers that arrived on their are protected only if they have doorstep have been attempt- rented continuously since being to evict the family from their fore 1968. One of the conditions home for the past 5 years.
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to maintaining the protected tenant status is that you remain in the house. Ateret Cohanim, a non-profit organisation, is stating the Sub Labans have been absent from the property since 1999 until today, using evidence from a settler neighbour to support this. “The aim when it comes to my house specifically- it is actually to make the whole building exclusively Jewish. We are the only Palestinians left in these apartments,” said Rafat. In regards to a decision on the family’s appeal of the eviction order due this May, he says: “We know it’s not a fair court, a fair trial- it is already based on fake evidence. There is no actual evidence that suggests we are not |
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Issue No : 123 23th February , 2015 living there.” Since the early 1990s groups such as Ateret Cohanim and Elad- another settler organisation- have worked towards a goal of a ensuring a Jewish majority in Jerusalem. Backed by right-wing American Jewish millionaires and Israeli government money they appropriate Palestinian land and properties for the settlement enterprise. When not recruiting the law to get what they want, they use illegal forged or fake documents (for example- a house in Wadi Hilweh, East Jerusalem was sold to the settlers, among other things, on the basis of documents signed posthumously by the owner of the property), middle men and straw companiesor simply desperate Palestinians who need the money. In 2010 Haaretz exposed the level of support these groups receive from the Israeli government. Via rentals, sales or leases, it found that the Israel Lands Administration, the Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public domain, had transferred buildings and land to the two groups- hundreds of assets. A report conducted by Klugman Committee, a committee formed in 1992 to review relations between the state and non-profit associations, concluded that Palestinian houses were confiscated on
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the basis of affidavits submitted by the two organizations, without either verifying the reliability of the people who made the affidavits or checking whether anyone was living in these houses.
Thousands of Palestinians fled to “enemy” countries to escape the violence surrounding the birth of Israel- the law has served to confiscate the land and property left behind by the Palestinians who were forcibly displaced in 1948.
It found that in its transactions with these organizations, the state made excessive use of the Absentee Property Law. The 1950 law classified every citizen or persons that owned property in Israel but were present in an “enemy” territory (such as the West Bank) or country (Jordan or Lebanon) as an “absentee”, therefor allowing the state to become the custodian of the property. Thousands of Palestinians fled to “enemy” countries to escape the violence surrounding the birth of Israel- the law has served to confiscate the land and property left behind by the Palestinians who were forcibly displaced in 1948. Employing discriminatory laws and shady dealings these groups have managed to cut huge inroads into Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. Each property appropriated is a step towards their stated goal- a Jerusalem for Jews only. But by their logic- “redeeming land” based on claims of pre 1948 ownership, surely Palestinians will be able to return to the ruins of Beit Jibrin village or the old Arab houses now populated by young Israeli n Jaffa?
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