Seven Palestinians including three children, a woman and her son were arrested in Al Khalil

Israeli authorities arrested seven Palestinians on Tuesday in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, including three children, a woman and her son. Said Raba, a Palestinian from the South Hebron Hills village of al-Mufaqarah, was arrested because he refused to stop working on a water cistern as ordered by soldiers. Soldiers also stormed at dawn on Tuesday the house of liberated prisoner Mohammed Ahmed al-Najjar in the Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, and arrested him. In the old city of Hebron a woman and her 20 year old son were arrested from their home. Also three children were arrested in the old city of Hebron and accused of attacking settlers’ cars parked in front of their homes. In Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, a military force surrounded the home of Wahid Hamdi Abu Maria, 45, accompanied by a large bulldozer, and started demolishing part of the house while family members were inside. Abu Maria was arrested.

http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/news/news-updates/5547-seven-palestinians-arrested-in-hebron-area.html

Land Theft & Destruction / Ethnic Cleansing / Restriction of Movement / Apartheid & Occupation

The European Union imports fifteen times more from Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory than from Palestinians themselves, a new report from a coalition of 22 non-governmental organisations including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Christian Aid UK and Ireland, and Diakonia revealed on Monday 29th October 2012.

Euro-Mid submits report on Israel’s settlement activities to UN probe committee

The Euro-Mid observer for human rights said it handed a detailed report on Israel’s settlement expansion activities during the year 2012 to the UN fact-finding committee.

HEBRON, October 30, 2012 (WAFA) – An Israeli army force Tuesday demolished part of house owned by Wahid Abu Maria, 45, in the Hebron area village of Beit Ummar and arrested him, according to a local activist. Muhammad Awad, member of the Popular Committee against Settlements, told WAFA that an army force accompanied by a bulldozer demolished part of Abu Maria’s house in the early hours and without any prior warning. He said the soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades in the area to keep people away and arrested the owner as they proceeded to demolish parts of the house. Awad said the soldier beat and wounded two of Abu Maria’s brothers who intervened to stop the demolition. The two required hospitalization. A statement by the Islamic Jihad described Abu Maria as a leading member of its organization in the Hebron area and that he was arrested two days after the fundamentalist organization held a rally in Hebron for the first time in many years to mark its establishment.

On Tuesday 30th October, Israeli bulldozers escorted by forces from the Israeli army, raided al-Makhrour area in Beit Jala and started to raze its lands. Bashir al-Sous, one of the farmers told PNN that an area of about 20 acres was razed. It’s worth noting that al-Makhrour is an area located to the West of Beit-Jala city, and considered a continuous target for Israeli authorities due to its residence in Area C. Israeli authorities prevent the lands’ owners from constructing, digging wells, or even building a wall in that area. Nowadays, farmers are attacked and banned from reaching their lands to harvest their olive trees.

Photo essay: Galilee Bedouin face house demolitions

Activestills – +972 – “It seems that the Israeli administration has decided to give the northern Bedouin community a hard time too, after abusing the Bedouins in the South for decades. In 2011, houses in the Bedouin village of Zbidat were demolished. During the winter they were rebuilt. One May morning in 2012, all the young men of the village were called in to the police for investigation. When they came back, they found that their houses were demolished in their absence”

Israel is pushing ahead with a plan to build a new neighborhood for retired police and soldiers in annexed East Jerusalem, with the land now being marketed to potential developers, Peace Now settlement watchdog said. Peace Now spokesperson Hagit Ofran told AFP that the plan for a new neighborhood near the Palestinian district of Sur Baher was finally approved in July, with the Israel Land Administration releasing the land for development last week. ”The project has been approved since July,” she told AFP, explaining that the ILA’s decision to market the land meant the project “can now be implemented.” ”Now they need to get building permits,” she said, referring to potential buyers, adding that the process could take “some months.”

Farmers in the West Bank village of Salem have only been allowed access their olive groves for four days this year.

Arab citizens in Israel bemoan lack of policing

As gang violence increases, residents rethink their past resistance to welcoming Israeli police into their Arab communities.

Protests / Solidarity / Activism / BDS

Druze youth faces jail for refusing to serve in Israel’s army

Omar Saad, a Palestinian musician and high school senior from the Druze minority religious community, faces imprisonment over his refusal to take part in a recruitment test for the Israeli military on Wednesday (31 October). Saad has bravely made his views known to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and Ehud Barak, its defense minister. In a letter to both men, Saad stated: “I will not be fuel to the fire of your war” (“I’m Omar Saad and I will not be a soldier in your army,” Abir Kopty’s blog, 27 October).

Open Letter to Alanis Morissette: You oughta know it’s apartheid, don’t play Israel Dear Alanis Morissette, We are writing to you to ask that you not cross the Palestinian picket line by playing in Israel in December. As we write, the people of Gaza, who live in the world’s largest open-air prison, are being subjected to nightly airstrikes by Israel, a few miles from where you would be playing to a segregated audience. Last week, humanitarian activists trying to break the illegal, immoral siege of Gaza were kidnapped in international waters, tasered and imprisoned in Israel. Their crime? Showing solidarity to the Palestinian people…

Amid censure of left-leaning politics, Israeli university urged to ‘rectify faults’ Over the years, some of Ben-Gurion University’s Department of Politics and Government’s staffers have been labeled radical leftists and accused of calling for an international cultural, academic and political boycott of Israel.

Political Developments / Other News Sudan denies Iran link to Khartoum plant allegedly attacked by Israel Amid reports of link between Yarmouk weapons plant and Iran, statement by Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cited by AFP, accuses Israel of spreading ‘fabricated’ information. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/sudan-denies-iran-link-to-khartoum-plant-allegedly-attacked-by-israel-1.473075?localLinksEnabled=false Hezbollah Military Might Undermines Zionist Plans for War

Hezbollah is strongly present in the Zionist decision making process regarding any future war, where its growing military capabilities pose a hard number to Tel Aviv rulers when thinking of any military adventure in the region.

Tunisians debate constitutional clause outlawing normalisation with Israel As post-revolution Tunisia’s politicians try to draft a new constitution, a clause on normalising relations with Israel has created controversy. Article 2.27 of the latest draft reads: “All forms of normalisation with Zionism and the Zionist entity shall be deemed a crime punishable by law.” A number of political parties support this article but the ruling troika headed by Al-Nahda does not believe that it is necessary to include such a clause in the constitution. They argue that Tunisians refuse normalised relations with Israel quite naturally. Those in favour of the article are found among the nationalist and extreme left factions. Around 100 protesters held a demonstration last week threatening to unseat any government which supports normalisation with Israel. http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/4522-tunisians-debate-constitutional-clause-outlawing-normalisation-with-israel Tunisia split on normalising relations with Israel

As post-revolution Tunisia’s politicians try to draft a new constitution, a clause on normalising relations with Israel has created controversy. Article 2.27 of the latest draft reads: “All forms of normalisation with Zionism and the Zionist entity shall be deemed a crime punishable by law.” A number of political parties support this article but the ruling troika headed by Al-Nahda does not believe that it is necessary to include such a clause in the constitution. They argue that Tunisians refuse normalised relations with Israel quite naturally.

Egyptian report: Two Israel Navy ships sailed through Suez Canal Senior official at Suez Canal Authority says ships, escorted by Egyptian vessels, crossed the canal to an unknown destination.

Israel is an apartheid state (no poll required), Ben White

A new Ha’aretz poll indicates a majority of Jewish Israelis favour apartheid – but that’s nothing new.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/10/20121027145235386715.html