UN accuses Israel of razing homes of 77 Palestinians

© AFP | A bulldozer hired by the Jerusalem municipality destroys a Palestinian house in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat, on January 21, 2015

JERUSALEM (AFP) -The United Nations has accused Israel of illegally demolishing the homes of 77 Palestinians, mostly children, this week in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.

"In the past three days, 77 Palestinians, over half of them children, have been made homeless," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement issued Friday evening.

"Some of the demolished structures were provided by the international community to support vulnerable families.

"Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement run counter to Israel's obligations under international law and create unnecessary suffering and tension. They must stop immediately," said OCHA.

The demolitions took place in east Jerusalem and the districts of Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron, it added.

OCHA said that during 2014 Israel carried out a record number of demolitions in east Jerusalem and a zone of the West Bank under full Israeli control known as Area C.

"In 2014, according to OCHA figures, the Israeli authorities destroyed 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and east Jerusalem, displacing 1,177 people -- the highest level of displacement in the West Bank since OCHA began systematically monitoring the issue in 2008."

It did not specify how many of the structures were homes or animal shelters or other outbuildings.

Israel says such demolitions are carried out because the structures have been built without the required construction permits. Palestinians and rights groups say such authorisation is routinely denied, forcing unlicensed building.

"The planning policies applied by Israel in Area C and east Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians, making it extremely difficult for them to obtain building permits," said OCHA.

"As a result, many Palestinians build without permits to meet their housing needs and risk having their structures demolished.

"Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met," it said.

Source : France 24 International News 24/7

14-year-old Palestinian girl Malaak al-Khatib sentenced to 2 months in Israeli prison

On 21 January, 14-year-old Palestinian girl Malaak al-Khatib was sentenced to 2 months in Israeli prison. Malaak has been imprisoned since 31 December 2014, and her detention repeatedly extended during that time, on accusations of “throwing stones” at Israeli occupation soldiers at the settler bypass road closed to Palestinians near her school. Her detention has been extended 3 times since her original arrest. She is one of around 500-700 Palestinian children are detained and arrested by the Israeli occupation forces each year. If children are charged at all, it is usually with “throwing stones.”

Source : Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network ( http://samidoun.ca/ ) 

Related : http://stateofblood.blogspot.com/2015/01/israel-continues-to-keep-14-year-old.html

Israel government 'tortures' children by keeping them in cages, human rights group says

An Israeli human rights organisation has accused the government of torturing children after it emerged some were kept in outdoor cages during winter.It said the incident in Ramla was just one example of a broad range of abuses being suffered.

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) published a report which claimed children suspected of minor crimes were subjected to “public caging”, threats and acts of sexual violence and military trials without representation. It came as the government’s Public Petitions Committee held a hearing to discuss the issue, which the PCATI said must be addressed with a change to the law.

The country’s Public Defender’s Office (PDO) recently released details of one particularly shocking visit by its lawyers to a detention facility.

“During our visit, held during a fierce storm that hit the state, attorneys met detainees who described to them a shocking picture: in the middle of the night dozens of detainees were transferred to the external iron cages built outside the IPS transition facility in Ramla,” the PDO wrote on its website.

“It turns out that this procedure, under which prisoners waited outside in cages, lasted for several months, and was verified by other officials.”

Although the practice of keeping children caged was reported to have lasted for months, there is no suggestion that the individuals were so detained for that period. 

According to the Jerusalem Post, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni called for the practice of keeping children in cages to be stopped as soon as she learned of it, and the prison service issued a statement saying the situation had been improved following the “criticism”.

The PCATI said this was not enough, and called for the country’s relatively high threshold for what can be classed “acts of abuse” to be lowered in the case of children.

Their report argued: “Torture is a means of attacking an individual’s fundamental modes of psychological and social functioning” as described in the Istanbul Protocol. Furthermore, “torture can impact a child directly or indirectly. The impact can be due to the child’s having been tortured or detained, the torture of parents or close family members or witnessing torture and violence.”

Yesterday the Knesset committee said Israeli law as it currently exists was being violated by the manner of arrest and detention conditions of Palestinian children, the Post reported.

The committee also took issue with the fact that the government appeared not to keep records of the frequency or scope of disputed practices like midnight arrests.

The PCATI quoted figures from the campaign group Defence for Children International's Palestine section, saying: “The majority of Palestinian child detainees are charged with throwing stones, and 74 per cent experience physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation.”

It said Israel was the only country to systematically prosecute children in its military courts, and added that “no Israeli children come into contact with the military court system”.

Source : The Independent

Related : http://stateofblood.blogspot.com/2015/01/israel-sexually-abusing-child-prisoners.html

Eighteen Palestinians Kidnapped In Nablus And Hebron

 

Wednesday January 21, 2015 10:44 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies 

Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday at dawn, several Palestinian communities in the northern West Bank district of Nablus, and the southern West Bank district of Hebron, and kidnapped 18 Palestinians. Many residents injured near Jenin.

The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that dozens of military vehicles invaded the Balata and ‘Askar Al-Jadeed refugee camps, in Nablus, and kidnapped twelve Palestinians. 

WAFA said the soldiers ransacked dozens of homes in the two refugee camps while searching them, interrogated families, and detonated the main door of one of the raided homes, belonging to former political prisoner, Bashir Hashash. 

It added that some of the invaded homes belong to Palestinian security and police officers. 

The kidnapped in Balata have been identified as Ayman Kharma, Mohammad Tirawi, Mohammad Saqer, Shaher an-Najma, Mahmoud Abu ‘Ayyash, Mohammad Ali Hashash, and ‘Ammar Mit’eb, Abdul-SalamAbu Rezeq. 

In ‘Askar, the soldiers kidnapped Kamal Abu Seryya, Hasan al-Ashqar, Sameh Abu Keshek, and Mojahed Mashayekh. 

In addition, soldiers invaded Doura and Beit Ummar town, and the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, in Hebron, and kidnapped six Palestinians after breaking into their homes and violently searching them. 

Local sources in Doura said the soldiers invaded the at-Tabaqa area, and kidnapped five Palestinians identified as Abdullah Harbeyyat, 15, Mahmoud Hakam Harbeyyat, 17, Mos’ab Mahmoud Etbeish, 18, Dia’ Mohammad Hantash, 19, and Taleb Mohammad Faqqousa, 40 years of age. 

The Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar said the soldiers also kidnapped Qssam Ahmad Abu Hashem, 21, after searching and ransacking his home. 

His father is a political prisoner, currently held by Israel under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders, without charges or trial. 

In addition, soldiers kidnapped a Palestinian journalist, identified as ‘Ala at-Teety, who works for the al-Aqsa Satellite TV station and news agency. 

On Tuesday at night, several Israeli military vehicles invaded Deir Abu Da’if village, east of Jenin, and clashed with dozens of local youths. 

Medical sources said many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation. 

Eyewitnesses said the clashes took place after the soldiers invaded many homes, and interrogated family members, while ransacking their properties.

Source : http://www.imemc.org/article/70314

German official: Israeli reaction to ICC probe 'counterproductive'

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda

Top German human rights officials described the Israeli reaction to the ICC investigation into possible Israeli war crimes in Palestinian territories "counterproductive".

In an interview with IPG Journal published yesterday, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid Christoph Strässer said: "Israel's reaction was counterproductive."

"Israel has launched its own investigations and should in my view cooperate with the ICC." He noted that the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip is "worse than we watch on mass media," saying he visited the region and saw facts with his bare eyes.

Strässer added: "As far as the effort to suspend funding for the court goes, I can only warn against adopting this proposal." He noted that the ICC was established to reveal the reality of such incidents.

The Prosecutor of The Hague-based ICC, Fatou Bensouda announced that she has opened a preliminary investigation into the "situation in Palestine" after the Palestinian government lodged claims of war crimes against Israel.

Source : https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/europe/16486-german-official-israeli-reaction-to-icc-probe-counterproductive

Japan pledges $100m to rebuild Gaza

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during this press conference in Ramallah yesterday

During a visit to the region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged $100 million for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

In a joint press conference with the Palestinians Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Abe announced the Japanese pledge to help reconstruct the Gaza Strip, which was destroyed during a 51-day Israeli war last summer.

The Israeli war left more than 2,260 Palestinians dead and around 11,000 others wounded. It also caused the partial or complete destruction of more than 100,000 houses.

Abe said: "We are concerned about the deteriorating situation between the two sides since the last year. I exchanged views with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas and found they are real friends."

Abbas thanked Japan for its role in enhancing peace opportunities in the Middle East. "Palestinians will never forget Japan's support for Palestine, which started when it aided Palestinian refugees and continued after the Oslo Accords," he said.

The Palestinian president said he had updated the Japanese premier on the latest political developments and the plan by Arab foreign ministers to garner political support for a new UN draft resolution calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders.

In addition, Abbas reiterated that there is no choice but to resolve the conflict through peaceful means and negotiations based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the UN resolutions.

"We tell our neighbours [Israelis] that our hands are extended for peace and they have to choose between peace or settlement expansion," he said. "Peace cannot be achieved by collective punishment, apartheid measures or the detention of thousands of Palestinians."

Abe said that he hoped Palestine and Israel would be able to live in peace and that his country would continue to support peace based on a two-state solution.

Where is the HUMANITY ? Where are the human rights?

Where is the humanity from this?? Where are the human rights? Where are the hearts of "humans" ?!!!! This is a young man Hamza Mohammad Al Matrouk 22 years old got killed by the "Israeli" occupation forces by shooting him and let him bleeding and begging them till death. And the soldiers are mocking him!!! Where is the world from rejecting such ugly action!! Or "Israel" is above the LAW!!!! This video must be shared worldwide to let the world see this oppression and such violence the Palestinians have to face everyday.