Halabiya: Jerusalem faces the most serious stage in its history

Halabiya: Jerusalem faces the most serious stage in its history

[ 07/03/2009 - 04:50 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Ahmed Abu Halabiya, the rapporteur of the Quds parliamentary committee, warned that the city of occupied Jerusalem is going through the most serious stage in its history, adding that the Israeli occupation authority is waging a relentless war on the Palestinian people everywhere.

Dr. Abu Halabiya's remarks came during a cultural meeting entitled "The risks that threaten Jerusalem and the holy places" held by the Hamas public relations office in the Daraj area in Gaza city.

The lawmaker stressed that at least 60 thousand dunums of Palestinian lands had been seized and 30 settlements had been established since 1967.

He noted that the IOA handed demolition orders for 134 Jerusalemite families living in 88 homes in the Bustan neighborhood in the Silwan town, south of the Aqsa Mosque, and issued other orders for the demolition of 55 apartments in the Ras Khamis area in the Shafat refugee camp, in central Jerusalem.

Abu Halabiya said that the goal of this Israeli policy is to tighten the screws on the Palestinians in Jerusalem in order to force them to emigrate from their city and change the demographic map dramatically in favor of the Jews.

The lawmaker pointed to what had been revealed by the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage about the Israeli intents to dig two new long tunnels under the Aqsa Mosque as a prelude to demolishing it.

Palestinian sources reported Saturday that the IOA handed during the past 24 hours demolition orders for 21 Palestinian families in Jerusalem.

The sources said that the IOA handed two Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, north of Jerusalem's old city, orders to evacuate their homes in order to give them for the society of oriental Jews which is active in seizing Jerusalemite real estate.

Israel hands out demolition orders for 36 Palestinian more families in J'lem

[ 07/03/2009 - 02:17 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Palestinian sources reported that the Israeli controlled municipality of occupied Jerusalem handed Thursday demolition orders for 36 Palestinian families living in the Abbasiya neighborhood near the Old City.

The sources said that the orders gave the families, who live in two buildings in this neighborhood, 10 days to evacuate their homes.

According to the sources, the number of Palestinian homes threatened with demolition in different Jerusalem neighborhoods rose to 124 so far.

Last week, Israel issued demolition orders for 88 homes in Al-Bustan neighborhood, located south of the Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem.

New reports received Saturday said that the Palestinians in the Sahel area near Jerusalem's Old City set up a protest camp on the ruins of the last house that was demolished two weeks ago in the area. The camp was set up to protest against Israeli decisions to demolish 13 apartment buildings and the confiscation of 16 dunums of lands owned by Palestinians in the same area

The Israeli ocucpation authority gave the Palestinian owners of homes and lands 40 days to comply with the demolition orders.

As a result of these demolition orders, which contravene international law, thousands of Palestinians will become homeless. There are also fears that more demolition orders will be issued soon at the pretext of unlicensed construction.

PCHR: IOF troops persist in WB incursions
Meanwhile, the Palestinian center for human rights said in its weekly report that the Israeli occupation forces carried out at least 31 incursions in most of West Bank cities, towns and refugee camps during which it kidnapped 31 Palestinian citizens including four children and transformed three Palestinian houses into military posts.
In the West Bank, on February 26, a Palestinian child was killed and two of his friends were injured by the explosion of a suspicious object left by IOF in the Yarza area to the east of Tayaseer village, east of Tubas, where the IOF troops routinely conduct military drills using live ammunition, the report added

On March fourth, a Palestinian child was seriously injured by a gunshot to the head when IOF soldiers moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Al-Khalil, and fired at a number of children who demonstrated against them.

In the Gaza Strip, the report pointed out that Israel continues to impose its deadly siege on the Palestinian people there and still blocks the entry of fuel supplies, food, medicines and other vital needs which paralyzed all walks of life in the Strip.

On February 27, medical sources at al-Zaytoun Hospital in Egypt confirmed that Nihad Mohammed Abu Kmail, 29, from al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza City, died of injuries he had sustained on 13 January 2009. According to the report, the victim had been traveling in a truck on the coastal road leading to Gaza City when IOF troops positioned to the south of the city fired at the truck. As a result, Abu Kmail was wounded by a gunshot to the head.

On March fourth, the IOF troops extrajudicially executed a military activist of the Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, and injured a second activist as well as two civilian bystanders in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

The IOF troops have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied east Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and Gaza continue to be denied access to occupied Jerusalem.

The IOA continues its measures aimed at creating a demographic Jewish majority in east Jerusalem, the report underlined.