23/02/2010 Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyyeh on Tuesday called on Palestinians in the West Bank to "rise up" against Israel over a plan to restore two holy sites in the territory.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked outrage on Sunday when he said he hoped to include “Rachel's Tomb” in Bethlehem and the “Tomb of the Patriarchs” in occupied Al-Khalil in a so-called “national heritage plan”.
"The decision requires a real response in the West Bank and for the people to rise up in the face of the Israeli occupation and to break every shackle in confronting it," Haniyyeh told reporters. "(The project) aims to erase our identity, alter our Islamic monuments and steal our history," he added.
In occupied Al-Khalil clashes between Palestinians and Israeli occupation forces were renewed Tuesday for the second consecutive day.
There was sporadic stone throwing from Palestinian youths near the Ibrahimi mosque above the “Tomb of the Patriarchs” but there were no reports of anyone being wounded.
The Palestinian Authority continues to condemn the plan, and says it proves Israel does not want peace. The PLO has expressed support for the Palestinians' battle in occupied Al-Khalil.
The site has often been the scene of tensions between Palestinians and hardline settlers who live there under heavy military protection and have converted part of the mosque into a synagogue.
Meanwhile in Bethlehem shops and schools were closed in a day-long general strike and youth set tyres on fire in some areas, an AFP correspondent said.
The UN Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry expressed concern over the government decision and the escalation in the region following the announcement.
Serry issued a statement in which he said that "these sites are located on Palestinian lands and have historic and religious significance not only to Judaism, but also to Christianity and Islam."
Serry urged Israel to avoid taking steps that betray the trust between the two sides and harm the prospects of negotiations.
The final list of the sites to be included in the 100-million-dollar restoration project is still under discussion, but Netanyahu's remarks drew protests from the Palestinians, Jordan and Egypt.
[ 23/02/2010 - 02:53 PM ]
Eyewitnesses reported that young Palestinians from Shu’fat refugee camp torched tires and threw stones at the IOF troops who in turn fired live and rubber bullets, and tear gas grenades at the protesters. The troops also closed the camp checkpoint.
Other clashes reportedly took place in the areas of Sawanah in Al-Zeitoun Mount, Bab Al-Amud, Sultan Suleiman street and Salahuddin street in Jerusalem.
In the same context, the Jordanian government strongly denounced Israel for declaring the annexation of the Ibrahimi Mosque and Bilal Mosque to what is called the list of the Jewish historical sites.
Minister of information Nabil Al-Sharif told the Jordanian news agency Petra on Monday that Jordan rejects such unilateral Israeli measures, and affirmed that the Israeli policies which aim to change the Islamic historical sites in the occupied Palestinian lands constitute a blatant violation of international law.
Sharif also said that this Israeli behavior is a new act of aggression added to a number of Israeli violations that are aimed to Judaize the Arab and Muslim places in Palestine.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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