By: Madeeha Araj/ NBPRS/

The American support and the US political coverage of the occupation crimes and settlement activities are no longer limited to the US’ ambassador in Tel Aviv, David Friedman, but extended to include other White House figures after the Trump’s administration announced the recognition of occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli State, and considered that settlement constitute no obstacles to peace. Last week, the former Trump’s Assistant Secretary of State, Anthony Scaramuchi took part in a project to build a new settlement in the settlement of Efrat, near the city of Bethlehem. Scaramuchi was quoted as saying that the Trump administration would not exercise any pressure on Israel to freeze settlement in the West Bank or remove any settlements.

Head of the so-called Samaria settlement council, Yossi Dagan, praised US officials, Anthony Scaramuchi and Mike Huckabee’s visit, and he explained them the important role the settlements play in serving the strategic interests for both the United States and Israel.

In a rude public statement, Huckabee told a crowd of settlers that he once dreamed of owning a home in Efrat. Huckabee, who is known for his loyalties to Israel and his repeated visits, used a shovel to help build a wall. He said that Trump would be very happy if he were here, adding that Trump would enjoy seeing this being a real estate developer.

The National Bureau held the US Administration responsible for the consequences of its blind adoption of the occupation’s policies, blaming the international community for its silence on that and its failure to shoulder its responsibilities towards the suffering of our people and its negligence of the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy, which are many decades listed in UN.

On the other hand, the Israeli occupation authorities launched a new settlement project in the Silwan, Jerusalem cooperated with settlement associations. A project in an old building, which the occupation authorities claimed it as an old synagogue known as “Beit Yehonatan” . A “heritage center” named after Jews, who migrated from Yemen to Palestine at the end of the 19th century in the place, it will be implemented by the Minister of “Jerusalem and Heritage” Zeev Elkin, who recently announced his candidacy to head the municipality of the occupation in Jerusalem, and Culture Minister Miri Regev, along with settlement associations, including Ateret Cohanim, which does its best to Judaize the occupied Jerusalem.

The ministries of Jerusalem and culture in the occupation government allocated NIS 4.5,000,000 to this project with an area of about 700 sq.m that was seized in 2015, as the Israeli court issued a decision to expel Palestinian families there describing them as “invaders”, and that it goes back to “the Yemeni Waqf for decades,” knowing that some Palestinian families have been living in the place for decades.

In the Khan Ahmar in the Jordan Valley, the Israeli occupation authorities officially declared the confiscation of 68 dunums of Palestinian land, where they handed over notices to the citizens to confiscate their lands for urgent military purposes, then to be transferred to settlements built on the area. The Israeli Civil Administration called on the citizens to get compensation for the confiscation of their lands, worth mentioning that some 38 Palestinian families owning this land are affected by the decision.

In the Bethlehem Governorate, bulldozers of the settlers leveled the area separating the settlements of Kfar Elad and Nicodem east of Bethlehem from the land of Beit Ta’mir in order to establish the largest natural settlement park in the eastern area. Local sources said that the settlement project will be completed within 2 months. At the same time, the so-called Israeli Civil Administration announced the filing of a structural map to increase the number of housing units in Efrat settlement near the Al-Khader town south of Bethlehem with about 40 to 106 units. A report issued by “B’Tselem” revealed that the settlers uprooted and burned more than 2000 olive trees during the last 2 months in the West Bank, and scores of attacks on Palestinian homes aiming to kill.

A list of Israeli Occupation and Settlers’ Assaults over the Last Week, Documented by the National Bureau:

Jerusalem:

Demolishing orders of 6 houses in the Walaja village. Residents pointed out that orders to 80 houses have been recently issued as part of the Israeli attempts to expel residents from their land to add new units to the Har Gilo settlement.

Performing Talmudic rituals after storming the cemetery of Bab al-Rahma adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The occupation authorities are working to strengthen their security control around Al-Aqsa Mosque. Within the context, their crews installed sophisticated monitoring cameras in the Be’er Ayoub neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Hebron:

An elderly man, Rashed Zarmo Tamimi, 60, was beaten with stones while he was in front of his house in Jabal Jallis area. He sustained serious injuries in his chest.

Attacking a number of citizens and spraying them with pepper gas, causing a state of terror among the citizens of the region, especially the children.

Demolition of a sheep shed in Yatta town, under the pretext of not having a license, and confiscating a vehicle from the Mothalath Al-Biob south of Hebron, injuring child, Yosif Fawaz Qafisheh in the Old City of Hebron.

Bulldozing 12 graves under the pretext that the land belongs to the settlement bloc called Gush Etzion.

Ramallah:

writing racist slogans on the walls of houses and damaged the tires of 8 vehicles in the town of Mughair northeast of Ramallah, and the cutting of about 25 fruitful trees in the town, and the tires of 10 vehicles in the Ein Yabrood town east of Ramallah.

A number of settlers gathered at the Rantis’ checkpoint to provoke citizens and the Ahed Tamimi’s family prior to her release, raised the flags of the occupation and chanted against the Palestinians.

Nablus:

Breaking into Josef Tom and performed Talmudic rituals, resulted in the injuries of young, Amir Na’el Dweikat as a tear gas bomb was thrown at his vehicle. He was admitted to Rafidya Hospital.

Confiscating a truck belonging to the Beta Municipality that working to extend power lines.

Jordan Valley:

Bulldozing a water line for the fourth time in a row at the entrance to Qardala village in the northern Jordan Valley under the pretext of looking for “illegal” water holes.

Notifications to expel 4 families near the Khirbet “Yarza” east of the city of Tubas under military training pretext.

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