Violence / Detentions — West Bank, Jerusalem

104 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since October 1 (List)

IMEMC 27 Nov — The full list of the 104 Palestinians and 16 Israelis killed since October 1st is below. In the latest numbers on injuries, from this past Friday, November 20th, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that more than 10,000 Palestinians were injured since October 1st, including at least 1458 who were shot with live army fire, and 1070 shot with rubber-coated steel bullets.

The Ministry also said that 300 Palestinians suffered fractures and bruises after being assaulted by Israeli soldiers and paramilitary settlers in the West Bank, in addition to 26 Palestinians who suffered burns due to Israeli gas bombs and concussion grenades, while 6400 Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74037

Palestinian child dies of wounds suffered two weeks ago in Ramallah

IMEMC 26 Nov by Saed Bannoura — The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported, Wednesday, that a child died of serious wounds he suffered two weeks ago after Israeli soldiers shot him in the heart, in a town near the central West Bank city of Ramallah. The Ministry said Ibrahim Abdul-Halim Daoud, 16, underwent several surgeries at the Palestine Medical Center, in Ramallah, but remained in a very serious condition until his death. The slain Palestinian is from Deir Ghassana village, north of Ramallah; several Palestinians were injured during ensuing clashes.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74013

Palestinian shot after stabbing Israeli soldier dies from injuries

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — A 19-year-old Palestinian who was shot earlier on Wednesday after stabbing an Israeli soldier has died from his injuries, Palestinian officials said. The Palestinian liaison office told Ma‘an that Muhammad Ismail Shubaki, 19, a student at the Palestine Technical College near al-‘Arrub refugee camp, died hours after being shot and injured after stabbing an Israeli soldier near the al-Fawwar refugee camp. The Palestinian Ministry of Health told Ma‘an that Shubaki was shot on scene and evacuated to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem in critical condition. Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said the Israeli, 20, was left in severe condition and transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Israeli media reported that Shubaki exited his vehicle south of Hebron and stabbed an Israeli soldier before being shot.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769024

Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian during arrest raid

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — Israeli forces on Thursday killed a 21-year-old Palestinian when clashes broke out during an arrest raid in the town of Qatanna northwest of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. Locals told Ma‘an that forces stormed the Palestinian town at dawn, ransacking homes and detaining several residents. Clashes erupted throughout the streets of Qatanna between young locals and Israeli soldiers carrying out the raid. Locals said that the forces fired live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, and tear gas at the group. During the clashes, Yahya Yusri Taha, 21, was shot in the head and left on the ground bleeding for more than an hour and a half while Israeli soldiers denied Palestinian ambulances access to the young man to administer medical treatment, locals said. The raid comes as part of an ongoing arrest campaign carried out by Israeli military forces throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. Qatanna residents told Ma‘an that hundreds of Israeli soldiers who entered the town carried out inspections house-to-house, forcibly gathering families in one room of each home while searches were underway. In some cases, family members — including children, women and elderly members — were forced to wait outside of their houses, locals added.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769028

Israeli soldiers kill a 51-year-old Palestinian man south of Nablus

IMEMC 26 Nov — A Palestinian man, 51 years of age, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers, Thursday, at the Za‘tara military roadblock, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the soldiers shot Samer Hasan Seriesi, 51, and left him to bleed to death; Israeli medics were called to the scene, but stood at a distance, without providing the man with life-saving medical attention. The Israeli army claimed the man “tried to stab soldiers,” before he was shot and seriously wounded, and added that they were looking for another Palestinian who allegedly “drove him to the roadblock and left the scene.” Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a military source alleging “the Palestinian ran towards the soldiers, while carrying a knife.” But eyewitnesses challenged the account, noting that the claim by the Israelis that the 51-year old ran at them with a knife was a physical impossibility for the man. The Israeli army closed the roadblock in both directions, preventing the Palestinians from entering or leaving Nablus, while dozens of additional soldiers were deployed in the area.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74018

3rd Palestinian shot, killed by Israeli forces in al-‘Arrub camp

HEBRON (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — A 19-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed in al-‘Arrub refugee camp in northern Hebron on Thursday during clashes, medics told Ma‘an, the 3rd Palestinian to be killed during the day. Red Crescent officials said that Khalid Mahmoud al-Jawabreh, 19, was shot twice in the stomach by Israeli soldiers and later died from his injuries in the al-Ahli hospital in Hebron. The teenager was shot during clashes in the camp between youths and armed Israeli military forces. An Israeli army spokesperson said “a Palestinian with a lit Molotov cocktail in hand attempted to hit vehicles off route 60 in the area of al-‘Arrub, forces on site responded to the immediate threat, shooting .22 caliber rounds, thwarting the attack.” The main entrance to al-‘Arrub camp has been entirely closed for the past few days, with soldiers deployed at other entrances and in surrounding areas. An ambulance attempting to reach al-Jawabreh was forced to take a lengthy route to arrive at the scene of the shooting. Al-‘Arrub refugee camp lies along Route 60, a major West Bank road that Israeli settlers regularly use to reach a cluster of illegal Israeli settlements in Hebron, and the camp has been site to frequent clashes with Israeli military over the past month.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769041

Armed paramilitary settler kills a Palestinian near Jerusalem

IMEMC 27 Nov by Saed Bannoura — On Friday, an armed Israeli paramilitary settler shot dead a young Palestinian man, identified as Fadi Mohammad Mahmoud Khseib, 25. The slain Palestinian is the brother of Shadi Khseib, who was killed by a paramilitary Israeli settler five days ago. Israeli sources said the incident took place near the bus station in ‘Kfar Adumim’ colony, east of occupied Jerusalem, on the Ramallah-Jericho Road, on the way to the Dead Sea. Khseib was from the town of Dahiat Ein Misbah, in the central West Bank district of Ramallah. Eyewitnesses said Fadi was driving his car, heading to a picnic in Ein Fara Park, when his car collided with an Israeli car driven by a paramilitary settler. He stepped out of his car to examine the damage, but another paramilitary settler pulled his gun and shot him dead. The Israeli military alleges that Khseib deliberately rammed two soldiers with his car, moderately wounding one soldier. The military added that one of the wounded soldiers, who suffered a moderate injury, was moved to the Shaare Tzedek Medical Center, while the second soldier was moved to Hadassah Ein Karem Medical center. Fadi Khseib bled to death on the ground before the soldiers took his body to an unknown destination. He is the 39th slain Palestinian whose remains have not been returned to their families, but have been held by Israeli authorities.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74030

Army kills a Palestinian near Hebron, five soldiers injured

IMEMC/Agencies 27 Nov — Medical sources have reported, Friday, that a Palestinian teen, 19 years of age, was shot dead with several live Israeli army rounds, on the entrance of Beit Ummar town, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The army said he rammed his car into soldiers, wounding five. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers fired a large number of bullets at the Palestinian, identified as Omar Arafat Za‘aqeeq, before placing him in a black bag, and an Israeli ambulance took him to an unknown destination. The Israeli army is claiming Za‘aqeeq deliberately rammed his car into the soldiers. His father was ordered to head to the Etzion military base for interrogation. Israeli daily Haaretz said the five soldiers suffered injuries to their limbs, and that four of them sustained moderate wounds, one sustained a mild injury, and were moved to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and the Hadassah Hospital, in Jerusalem.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74032

B’Tselem: Israeli government encourages field executions

IMEMC/Agencies 26 Nov — Israeli human rights center B’Tselem is holding PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government responsible for the committing of field executions against Palestinians by both Israeli forces and civilians. The director general of the center, Hagai Elad, said that the Israeli government encouraged Israeli forces to act as judge or executioner and to shoot Palestinians dead, even after apprehending them. Elad noted that the security camera footage shows Israeli police shooting both Hadil and Nurhan Awad as they lay motionless on the ground. The footage shows that an Israeli civilian knocked Nurhan to the ground before being shot. He also noted the incident in which Ashraqet Qatnani, aged 16, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers after being run over by Gershon Mesika, the former head of the Shomron regional council. Gershon confirmed that the soldiers shot her dead even though she was posing no danger to anyone. The center reported, according to Al Ray, that Israeli ministers and other politicians, as well as top military and police officers, openly encourage civilians to shoot and kill any Palestinian suspected of assaulting Israelis, regardless of the extent of danger that he or she poses at the time. It explained that the willful killing of a person who does not pose danger is patently unlawful and entails personal criminal responsibility.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74025

WATCH: How the far right glorifies killing of Palestinians

+972 mag 24 Nov by Mairav Zonszein — The leader of a popular Jewish supremacist group circulates a new video that puts CCTV footage of stabbing attack to bouncy electronic music and violent, disturbing lyrics — Benzi Gopstein, the head of Lehava, posted a video on his Facebook page Monday glorifying the killing of Palestinians. Lehava is a popular Jewish supremacist group dedicated to preventing Arab-Jewish relations, which is also accused of regular incitement and racism against Palestinians — both online and on the streets of Jerusalem. The video itself is CCTV footage of an incident in Jerusalem on Monday in which two Palestinian girls, 14 and 16, stabbed an elderly Palestinian man with scissors (presumably mistaking him for a Jewish Israeli) before they were shot several times, and even after they lay still on the ground. One was killed, the other is in critical condition. Crappy electronic music was added to the CCTV footage with synthesized lyrics: “She just wants to stab, put a bullet in her head.” Gopstein shared it on Facebook and wrote: “The new video, if you enjoy it share it!” (Continued)

http://972mag.com/watch-how-the-far-right-glorifies-killing-of-palestinians/114163/

Israeli night raid leaves Palestinian woman bedridden, ‘terrorized’

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — Israeli forces stormed a family home in a village east of Bethlehem on Sunday, the head of the family told Ma‘an, leaving his wife “terrorized” and “bedridden” in their wake. Saddam Mahmoud Aysih said Israeli forces stormed his home in the Kirbet al-Deir neighborhood of Tuqu‘ village, breaking down the door around 2 a.m. while his family slept. During the raid, which Ayish described as “hysterical” Israeli forces ransacked his home, damaging property and causing Ayish’s wife to have what he described as a seizure, before she fainted. The woman was evacuated to the hospital where she received treatment and was later taken home; however Ayish said she has shown little improvement and has been bedridden for days, unable to walk or stand.

Last year, the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling collected testimonies from 100 women on the topic of night raids. Throughout the sample, the organization found that the one common thread mentioned by the women who provided testimonies was “a sense of terror.” In another study done by the center, researchers found that Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem conduct an average of 1,400 night raids each year, or an average of 4 per night.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769021

Armed protesters demand release of girl’s body, close Qalandiya route

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — Armed Palestinian protesters on Thursday closed the main road leading to Qalandiya checkpoint in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah, demanding that Israel release the body of a young girl killed in Jerusalem on Sunday, locals said. Locals said Palestinian gunmen, as well as unarmed protesters, blocked the road to the checkpoint on the occupied West Bank side of the crossing with burning tires, preventing cars from passing. Hundreds of protesters marched to the checkpoint holding signs and chanting slogans, demanding that Israel deliver the body of Hadil Wajih Awwad, 14, who was killed by Israeli forces in Jerusalem following an attempted stabbing attempt earlier this week. Once protesters reached the checkpoint, Israeli forces opened live fire and shot rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters, locals said. At least seven youth were evacuated to a nearby hospital, although the circumstances of their injuries are not yet known. After protesters closed the road to the checkpoint, Israeli forces shut down the Qalandiya military checkpoint to traffic in both directions, preventing both pedestrians and vehicles from passing . . . Separately, a group of youths also organized a march inside Qalandiya refugee camp, calling for the Palestinian Authority to pressure Israel to deliver the 14-year-old girl’s body.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769039

Israeli forces shoot, injure 16 during funeral of slain Palestinian

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — Israeli forces shot and injured nine Palestinian youths with live fire, and seven more with rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes that erupted following the funeral of a young man who was killed by Israeli forces earlier on Thursday in the town of Qatanna northwest of Jerusalem City, locals said. Locals said at least 40 others suffered from severe tear gas inhalation and had to be treated by medics after Israeli forces attacked the funeral of Yahiya Yusri Taha, 21, who was killed after being shot in the head by Israeli forces hours earlier. The funeral set off from the Palestine Medical Center to Taha’s home where his family said their final goodbyes, before heading to the town’s cemetery where he was laid to rest. Mourners held Palestinian flags and chanted slogans against “Israeli crimes and violations” against Palestinians. Israeli forces opened live fire and rubber-coated steel bullets at youth who threw rocks and empty bottles in an attempt to prevent Israeli forces from entering the town. Taha was shot dead after forces stormed the Palestinian town at dawn, ransacking homes and detaining several residents.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769040

What drove a popular Palestinian girl to attempt a stabbing attack?

Haaretz 28 Nov by Gideon Levy & Alex Levac — One can, of course, label a 16-year-old girl a “terrorist” and also justify, with unbelievable, knee-jerk insensitivity, the wild car-ramming and then the confirmation-of-kill that occurred immediately after her attack – the two bullets fired by a settler, and the two others by a soldier, into the body of the girl who was run over and lying injured on the road. No one is questioning the fact that this past Sunday morning, the teenager Ashrakat Qattanani, wielding a knife, chased an Israeli woman at the Hawara junction, near Nablus, attempting to stab her. But we must ask what motivated the daughter of the imam from the Askar refugee camp to tell her father that she was going to school – where she was a good student and a popular girl – and then instead to go to the junction and try to stab an Israeli woman . . . Taha Qattanani, the girl’s father and the local imam, is an impressive man in a traditional robe and with a well-groomed beard. Speaking softly, he doesn’t try to conceal the fact that his daughter set out to stab Jews. “Ashrakat responded to the occupation,” he says with self-control, hiding his emotions. Those are the emotions of a newly bereaved father who must face the loss of his daughter alone, because Israel continues to deny Ashrakat’s mother entry into the West Bank, even during the mourning period . . . In the past month, he tells us, Ashrakat spoke a great deal about her dream of praying at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. “The occupation prevented her from living with her mother, and the occupation also prevented her from praying at the holiest place for her in her country,” he says. She often watched television reports of the recent acts of stabbing and the killing of the assailants, he says . . . Ashrakat’s uncle, Hassan, adds, “Since the Dawabsheh family in Duma was burned to death, all our children see on television what is going on – the terrorist behavior of the settlers and the army that supports them. No respect for women or the aged. The humiliation is so deep in the soul of every Palestinian. (Continued)

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/twilight-zone/.premium-1.688557

Israeli forces raid al-Fawwar refugee camp, injure 5

HEBRON (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — Clashes broke out in the al-Fawwar refugee camp in southern Hebron on Thursday when residents attempted to prevent Israeli forces from reaching the home of a Palestinian killed after stabbing an Israeli soldier, locals said. A resident of the camp, Adel al-Muhseiri, told Ma‘an that messages were relayed through speakers in the refugee camp after the forces entered, calling on locals to stop them from accessing the home of Muhammad Shubaki, 19. Youths threw rocks, empty bottles and Molotov cocktails while Israeli soldiers responded with live fire, tear gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets, al-Muhseiri said. Five Palestinians were injured with live bullets, one of whom was hit in the stomach, while dozens of residents suffered from tear gas inhalation. Another witness told Ma‘an that an Israeli patrol vehicle broke down during the raid, and that Israeli reinforcements arrived shortly after, firing from rooftops at residents.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769032

Israeli forces shoot, injure 82 Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 2 Nov — At least 82 Palestinians were shot by Israeli military forces during ongoing clashes across the occupied Palestinian territory, the Palestinian Red Crescent and officials said Friday. A Red Crescent spokesperson told Ma‘an that 16 Palestinians were injured by live bullets, as well as two by rubber-coated steel bullets, in the Gaza Strip [see Gaza section]. . .

Palestinians in the Ramallah district meanwhile staged a demonstration near Israel’s Ofer detention center, where medics told Ma‘an that Israeli forces opened fire on protesters. One of those shot by live fire was left in critical condition, medics said, adding that dozens of others suffered from tear gas inhalation. A total of 24 injuries by live fire were reported from the occupied West Bank, the Red Crescent spokesperson told Ma‘an, as well as 40 injured by rubber-coated steel bullets and over a hundred who were treated for tear-gas inhalation. In Hebron, 14 Palestinians were hit with live bullets, and 10 with rubber-coated steel bullets, the Red Crescent said, adding that Israeli forces targeted an ambulance with tear gas, shattering its windshield. In Kafr Qaddum near Qalqiliya, Qaisar Jihad,13, and Hamza Mutei, 22, were shot in the legs and lightly injured after Israeli forces trapped protesters and opened fire, according to a spokesperson for the village’s popular resistance committee, Murad Shtewei. In the village of Bil‘in in the Ramallah district, locals told Ma‘an that photojournalist Hamdi Abu Rahma was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the thigh as Israeli forces fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian demonstrators. Meanwhile, in the Nablus district, Ibrahim Khatayta and Salih Hanani, both 14 years old, were shot in the lower extremities by live fire in Beit Furik, a local council member, Mounadhel Hanani, told Ma‘an. He added that the teens were interrogated by Israeli forces before ambulances were allowed to treat them. Thirteen Palestinians were also injured with rubber-coated steel bullets in the village of Qusra, including the head of the village’s council Abd al-Athim al-Wadi, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settler activity in the northern West Bank, Ghassan Daghlas, told Ma‘an.

Over 10,300 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces since Oct. 1, not including those injured by Israeli settlers. Around 160 Israelis have been injured by Palestinian individuals during the same time period, according to documentation by the UN Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769051

Palestinian worker attacked by Israelis in Beit Shemesh

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 27 Nov — A Palestinian worker from Hebron was attacked by a group of Israelis in the city of Beit Shemesh west of Jerusalem on Friday, the victim’s family said. Relatives told Ma‘an that Mamun Ghneimat, 32, from Surif was assaulted and injured in his neck by a “sharp object” during the attack. The assault was allegedly a failed attempt to kidnap the Palestinian man, his family said. Ghneimat was taken to the Beit Jala hospital for treatment following the assault, with his condition described as stable.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769047

Israeli border police officer stabbed north of Haifa

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 27 Nov — An [Arab-]Israeli border police officer was stabbed Thursday near Nahariya north of Haifa before the suspect fled the scene, Israeli police said. Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said that a 37-year-old police officer was heading back to his home in Fassoula when he was stabbed in the upper body near a central bus station. Police who arrived on scene began searching for the suspect, and the officer was taken to the hospital for treatment of light injuries, al-Samri said. While the spokesperson said following an initial investigation that the stabbing was most likely “nationalistically motivated,” she later said the suspect and the officer had been engaged in an argument that evolved into a fight. She added that the officer who was stabbed was Arab and serves with border guards in Jerusalem. Fassoula, the officer’s hometown, is a Palestinian village. The suspect was later identified as a 16-and-a-half-year-old Palestinian from the village of al-Mezraa, near Nahariya.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769058

Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (19-25 Nov)

PCHR-Gaza 25 Nov —Israeli forces have escalated the use of excessive force against peaceful protests 8 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were killed in the West Bank. 2 other civilians, including a child, succumbed to their injuries. One of the killed civilians was attacked by settlers while a girl child was killed by Israeli police officers. 121 Palestinian civilians, including 29 children, 2 young women and 2 journalists, were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces conducted 88 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one in the Gaza Strip. 166 Palestinian civilians, including 35 children, were arrested. 27 of them, including 14 children, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem. Hebron Radio was closed for 6 months under the pretext of “incitement” and its contents were confiscated. Israeli warplanes targeted a training site in the central Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported. (Continued)

http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11391

Punitive demolitions

Israeli forces raid homes of Palestinian teens who stabbed soldier

HEBRON (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — Israeli forces early Wednesday raided and took measurements of homes belonging to two Palestinian teens killed after reportedly stabbing an Israeli soldier last month, local sources said. Hussam al-Jaabari, 17, and Bashar al-Jaabari, 15, were shot dead after the soldier was stabbed and injured at a military checkpoint in Hebron’s Old City on Oct. 20. Israeli officials have stepped up a policy of punitive home demolitions — considered illegal collective punishment by international rights groups — carried out on the residences of Palestinians who attacked or attempted to attack Israeli military or civilians. Measurements like those taken Wednesday are typically taken prior to the demolition of a home. Several homes in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank have been demolished this month, displacing family members and causing severe structural damage to nearby homes.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769010

In pre-demolition step, IDF maps attackers’ West Bank homes

Times of Israel 2 Nov — Israel Defense Forces troops entered two West Bank villages in the early hours of Saturday to map out the homes of two Palestinians killed as they carried out separate car-ramming attacks Friday. The mapping procedure is conducted ahead of home demolitions. Soldiers from Kedem Battalion and engineering troops from the Binyamin Brigade went to a house in Bir Nabala belonging to Fadi Hasib [Khseib], who wounded two soldiers in an attack at Kfar Adumim Junction on Friday morning, the Hebrew media reported. Hasib’s brother also attempted to run over a group of Israelis at the same Kfar Adumim bus stop on Sunday. The troops also visited the home of 19-year-old Omar Za’aqiq, 19, of Beit Ummar, near Hebron, who wounded six soldiers in an attack at the entrance to the village. Palestinians protested as the forces went into the village, the Walla news website said, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the troops, who responded by using riot-dispersal measures. Israel’s practice of demolishing the family homes of terrorists has been criticized by non-governmental groups, but government officials have repeatedly defended the measure as a deterrent against future terror attacks. The IDF has warned also the family of a terrorist who killed a rabbi and his teenage son in the West Bank that their home is to be demolished, Hamas’s al-Aqsa network said Thursday. Military sources confirmed army officials had visited the family home of Shadi Ahmad Matua in Hebron, and carried out some survey work, according to the Hebrew-language website Walla. The demolition has not received court approval, and therefore no date has been set for a demolition.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/in-pre-demolition-step-idf-maps-attackers-west-bank-homes/

Land, property theft & destruction / Ethnic cleansing / Settlements / Closures

Israel demolishes al-Araqib village for 91st time

BEERSHEBA (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — Israeli forces demolished homes in the Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev region of Israel for the 91st time on Thursday, local activists said. Palestinian activist Aziz al-Touri said that Israeli excavators raided the village in the morning and demolished all the housing structures in the area, as well as the village cemetery, which was leveled. Residents of al-Araqib have repeatedly fled into their village cemetery and lived there after Israeli authorities bulldozed parts of the town, since they had been assured the cemetery would not be destroyed. Saleem al-Araqib, a resident of the village, said the latest demolition of houses and the cemetery “will not change our attitude toward defending our land.” Al-Araqib is populated primarily by Palestinian Bedouins with Israeli citizenship and has been targeted repeatedly since 2010 for demolition by authorities. Israel considers al-Araqib and most other Arab villages in the Negev illegal, while Bedouins say it is their ancestral land and that they have a right to live in the area. There are about 260,000 Bedouin in Israel, mostly living in and around the Negev in the arid south. More than half live in unrecognized villages without utilities and many also live in extreme poverty. Al-Araqib is among some of the 40 Negev villages Israeli authorities have deemed unrecognized, arguing that the 53,000 Palestinian Bedouins living there cannot prove land ownership.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769036

Israeli forces demolish Palestinian homes in Jordan Valley

IMEMC/Agencies 26 Nov — Early Thursday, Israeli authorities demolished residential structures in the northern Jordan Valley locality of al-Hadidiya, according to PNN municipal sources. Aref Daraghmeh, who monitors settlement activities in the Jordan Valley, said an Israeli occupation army force accompanied by heavy machinery broke into al-Hadidiya and proceeded to demolish residential structures that shelter local Bedouin families . . . As stated by WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency, many Palestinians in Area C of the occupied West Bank, under complete Israeli occupation control, have no choice but to build without permits to be able to provide a shelter for their families, risking demolition of their residential structures by Israeli forces.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74023

Q&A: ‘We are being evicted because we are Palestinians’

Al Jazeera 25 Nov by Patrick Strickland — The Sub Laban family may soon join tens of thousands of Palestinians evicted from occupied East Jerusalem by Israel — The Sub Laban family has lived in their home in the historic Old City of occupied East Jerusalem for more than six decades. But, like many Palestinian families in the city, they have been struggling since 2010 against an eviction order that will allow Jewish settlers to take over their home. Rafat Sub Laban, a 28-year-old human rights activist, says his grandparents first rented the home from the Jordanian government in 1953, and his mother Nora was born there just three years later. In 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and took over all of the property that had been under the control of the Jordanian government. But for the last five years, the Sub Laban family’s legal proceedings have been shrouded in secrecy. A group of Israeli settlers who are suing the Sub Laban family claim that the home belonged to a Hekdesh, or Jewish religious endowment, before Israel’s 1948 establishment. More confusing still, Rafat and his family have never seen the settlers in court: Only their lawyer and their representative come to the hearings. He recently learned that an American company is involved in the takeover of his home . . . Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rafat explained that his family recently received an injunction while an Israeli district court decides if they can appeal the country’s high court. Al Jazeera: What is at risk if you and your family are evicted from the home? Rafat Sub Laban: For me, this is the only home I’ve known. I grew up in the home since I was 12 years old. We used to rent a home elsewhere in Jerusalem while we did renovations, but we moved back in when they were finished. My mum has the most intimate connection to the house. She was born in the home and my grandmother died in the home. We feel targeted. But it’s not just the settlers behind this: It’s the whole government, the whole regime. They cut off my family’s national health insurance, as well as the Israeli district court claiming that we haven’t lived in Jerusalem for the last 30 years. This has been a struggle for my family. It has disrupted our life completely, even on a day-to-day basis. (Continued)

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/qa-evicted-palestinians-laban-151125151324323.html

What the Israeli army takes, it doesn’t give back

+972 Blog 27 Nov by Yesh Din, written by Yossi Gurvitz — The army maintains its hold on a piece of Palestinian land it seized in the late 1970s. Here’s the catch: the land has been abandoned for nearly a decade — Two weeks ago, the council chiefs of the West Bank villages of Jaloud, Douma and Qusra appealed to Israel’s High Court of Justice, demanding that the hundreds of dunams of land seized by the IDF in 1978 be returned to their rightful owners. The IDF built a military camp (Jaloud camp) on a small part of the land, yet it has been abandoned for many years. Now is the time to revoke Seizure Order T/5/78. Readers of this blog are already familiar with the practice of land seizure by military order: we dealt with it in the case of the Dura Al Qara seizure (of which the Dreinoff houses affair is a descendent of): a seizure that was on its face illegal, as an IDF officer specifically wrote in the seizure order that it is to be hidden from the Palestinian residents. We also dealt with this very seizure practice when we managed to return the land taken from the residents of Burkeh for the purposes of building the settlement Homesh. Military seizure have served, time after time, not to fulfill a military need but for settlement building. (Continued)

http://972mag.com/what-the-idf-takes-it-doesnt-give-back/114231/

Israeli forces seize buses from Palestinian transport company

NABLUS (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — Israeli forces early Thursday seized eight buses belonging to a Palestinian transportation company in Nablus after the organization transported Palestinian youths to partake in demonstrations, local sources said. The offices of the al-Tamimi bus company were stormed, locals said, and the eight buses were transferred by Israeli forces to Huwarra military checkpoint south of the occupied West Bank city. Regular demonstrations — often organized by local universities — have taken place since last month near the Israeli military checkpoints that surround and control movement in and out of Nablus, leading to large-scale clashes between youth and Israeli soldiers . . . An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that several buses were seized overnight Wednesday from the Palestinian transport company, which they identified as an “illegal association known to have links to the Hamas terror organization.” The spokesperson told Ma‘an that the buses were taken on the grounds that the company has been providing transportation for large groups to partake in “violent riots” against Israeli forces.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769029

Al-‘Issawiya falls into ‘economic recession’ as shops face fines

JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — The occupied East Jerusalem village of al-‘Issawiya has fallen into an “economic recession” as the Israeli municipality continues to target shop owners, locals said. Member of a local follow-up committee in the village, Muhammad Abu al-Hummus, told Ma‘an that shop owners have been shutting their storefronts in order to avoid being fined by the Israeli municipality. Al-Hummus said that some shop owners have been heavily and repeatedly fined for arbitrary reasons. On one occasion, an owner was fined for leaving empty boxes in front of the store, he told Ma‘an. On another occasion, a shop owner was reportedly fined on the grounds that the sign above his storefront did not accurately describe the store’s contents. Al-Hummus told Ma‘an that the economic stability of residents is worsened by frequent raids by Israeli forces through al-‘Issawiya’s streets and homes that cause damage. Last night, four Palestinians were detained from the village during a such a raid, identified as Akram Mustafa, Shadi Kleib, Adham Sabta and Karim Jaber. He said that the interior and exterior of houses often receive damage during the raids when Israeli forces “randomly fire tear gas bombs, stun grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets, targeting homes and possessions.”

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769012

Stores demolished near Bethlehem, settlers close major junction

IMEMC/Agencies 26 Nov — The Israeli army, Thursday, demolished two commercial structures and seized some of their contents in the village of Hosan, west of Bethlehem, according to local sources. Hassan Hamamreh, mayor of Hosan, told WAFA that an Israeli army force, accompanied by bulldozers, broke into the village and demolished two commercial structures belonging to Ishaq Shousha and Bajes Oudeh, two local Palestinians, citing unpermitted construction as a pretext for the demolition. The two structures are used as stores to sell construction related material and scrap. The Israeli military also seized heavy machinery and other equipment available in both stores, including a bagger, forklift trucks and motor homes.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74026

Israeli forces raid East Jerusalem sports club

JERUSALEM (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — Israeli forces on Wednesday morning ransacked the Jabal al-Zaytoun (Mount of Olives) sports club in the al-Tur neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem and seized data from surveillance cameras, club officials said. Secretary-general of the club, Talal Sayyad, told Ma‘an that Israeli forces stormed the gym hall and “confiscated hard drives which record footage taken by surveillance cameras.” Israeli forces raided the sports center at the beginning of November and detained a man they claimed had hidden in the facility after throwing stones at Israeli forces. A court hearing reviewing video footage from surveillance cameras at the center did not support Israeli claims about the incident in early November, Sayyad added.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769019

Ministers authorize West Bank closures that IDF was already conducting

Haaretz 27 Nov by Barak Ravid, Gili Cohen, Jack Khoury — The security cabinet has authorized the Israeli army to impose full closures on Palestinian villages in the West Bank while searching for suspected terrorists, a senior official in Jerusalem said Friday. However, it has emerged that the IDF hadn’t needed such approval in the past. The cabinet decision taken on Thursday evening allows military commanders to decide whether to put a village under lockdown without waiting for approval from the government. But a military source confirmed that in effect, the tactical decision to put a village on lockdown is already made by military commanders on the ground. One such example took place earlier this month, when a Palestinian teen fired a hunting rifle at an IDF soldier, seriously wounding him. Shorly after the attack, the village of Beit Anoun, near Hebron, was placed on lockdown. A closure temporarily bars residents from leaving town, while military forces surround the area.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.688778

West Bank water crisis puts Palestinians in firing zone – in pictures

al-Rashayda (The Guardian) 27 Nov by Jovita Sandaite, photographs by Arturas Morozovas — In area C of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian families must brave a military firing zone in order to obtain water for their land and livestock

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2015/nov/27/west-bank-water-access-palestinians-al-rashayda-in-pictures

Prisoners / Court actions / Legislation

Israeli courts set witnesses’ testimony data in Manasra court case

RAMALLAH (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — The Israeli Central Court will hear witness testimonies on Jan. 6 for the case of a 13-year-old boy accused of attacking Israelis last month, the Palestinian prisoners committee said on Thursday. Israel’s Jerusalem District Court indicted 13-year-old Ahmad Manasra on charges of attempted murder on Oct. 30, following an attack on two Israelis on Oct. 12. Following the new court scheduling, the boy’s lawyer, Tareq Barghouth, said Ahmad was pleading not guilty to all charges, claiming that he “did not have the will to stab or kill anyone, and any claims otherwise are fabrications and exaggerations of the incident” aiming to “kill his childhood.” Barghouth added that the prosecution is attempting to continuously postpone the case, pointing out that the witnesses’ testimonies will not be heard in court until January because judges presiding over the case would be going on vacation until that time. Others have alleged that the Israeli courts are trying to delay the case until Ahmad turns 14 in January, at which time he would be old enough under Israeli law to be given a prison sentence.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769034

Knesset bill to jail minors on terror charges passes 1st vote

BETHLEHEM (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — The Israeli parliament on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow Palestinian minors under 14 who are facing terrorism charges to be sentenced to time in prison, a Knesset press release said. The bill was approved in a preliminary vote with 64 in favor of the bill and 22 against. If the bill becomes law, children under 14 would reportedly be placed in a children’s home until they turn 14, after which the child would be transferred to a mainstream security prison. If passed, the law would only affect children who are citizens of Israel, as Israeli military law already allows for children from the occupied West Bank and Gaza to be placed in security prisons from the age of 12. The move is an amendment to the Youth Law, initiated and sponsored by Anat Berko, a far-right politician from the Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Before the vote took place, Berko reportedly said she believed the law was necessary as “today children are being used [in terror],” citing the Islamic State group as an example. “There are 11-year-old Palestinian terrorists – kids who are recruited at the entrances to schools,” Berko said.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769026

Freed Palestinian prisoner: Swap deal with Israel is worthless if it excludes the sick

Al-Monitor 25 Nov by Ahmad Abu Amer — In an interview with Al-Monitor, freed Palestinian prisoner Mohammed Allan talks details about his detention and release, stressing that he would not hesitate for one moment to resume his hunger strike if the Israeli army were to put him under administrative arrest again — Al-Monitor: What were the reasons for your arrest by the Israeli army? Were you formally charged with anything? Allan: The Israeli army arrested me three times. The first was in 2006, when dozens of soldiers stormed my house in the village of Ainabous in Nablus, took me to my law office, searched and destroyed its contents, then led me to Megiddo Prison, where I spent three years and was released on March 31, 2009. The second time was in 2011, when I remained in prison for 50 days. I was arrested a third time on Nov. 6, 2014. The Israeli authorities never charged me with anything, and throughout my detention, I was only asked two questions: Why was I still unwed and did I pose any threat to the Israeli state? On Nov. 11, 2014, Israeli intelligence put me under administrative detention for six months. When the six-month period verged on expiring, the Israeli Prison Service [IPS] extended my administrative detention for an additional six months

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/palestinian-prisoner-released-swap-deal-israel-hunger-strike.html

Gaza

Army injures eleven [updated later to 16] Palestinians in the Gaza Strip [with live fire]

IMEMC/Agencies 27 Nov — Israeli soldiers shot 11 Palestinians with live rounds, including one who suffered a serious injury, while dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, during clashes near border areas in the besieged Gaza Strip [on Friday]. Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said five Palestinians were shot with live rounds, four in the legs and one was seriously injured after the soldiers shot him with a live round in his chest, near Nahal Oz Crossing. Three Palestinians were shot with live rounds east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza, while two others were shot, also with live rounds, near the Erez Terminal. In addition, one Palestinian was shot in the leg during clashes in the al-Faraheen area, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The soldiers used special army vehicles and launchers that can fire dozens of gas bombs, from a large distance.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74036

Israeli forces enter Gaza border area, create new barriers

GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 25 Nov — Israeli bulldozers escorted by military vehicles on Wednesday entered a Gaza border area and created earth-mounds in an area used by Palestinian agricultural land owners, locals said. Witnesses told Ma‘an that Israeli vehicles entered 300 meters into the northern Gaza Strip near Jabalia and piled up earth to create mounds which will prevent Palestinian farmers from accessing their land. Israeli forces routinely enter border areas around the Gaza Strip and level agricultural land, usually with the intention of improving security capabilities around the besieged enclave.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769018

In Gaza, Israeli forces brutally stop farmers from working on land

KHUZAA, Gaza Strip 27 Nov by ISM, Gaza Team — In Gaza, farmers should have started to plant wheat almost a month ago. However, in Khuzaa, a village close to Khan Younis, farmers who own land near the fence have not been able to start, as they don’t have the permission to access their land. They have been waiting for help from the Red Cross, who has a project to support farmers who need to work their land in that area. However, each time they contacted the Red Cross during the last weeks, they were told that the Israeli Forces didn’t allow them to work, and threatened to shoot any person aproaching the lands. Two days ago, tired of waiting, they decided to go to their land and start planting. A few minutes after beginning to work, several jeeps and a tank approached the area. A group of soldiers came out of one of the jeeps and stayed hidden next to the fence. They shot several rounds of live ammunition, without injuring anyone, and insulted the farmers and the international human rights activists.

http://palsolidarity.org/2015/11/in-gaza-israeli-forces-brutally-stop-farmers-from-working-on-land/

PA to build 2,110 new housing units in Gaza Strip

GAZA (Ma‘an) 26 Nov — The Palestinian Authority announced on Thursday that the government is going forward with a plan to build 2,110 new housing units in the Gaza Strip, the PA Minister of Public Works told Ma‘an. Mufied al-Hasanyneh said that despite the PA having faced numerous obstacles in starting the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, it will “replace all the houses that were destroyed in the latest Israeli aggression.” The 2014 war on Gaza killed 2,200 Palestinians and displaced half a million more. It also destroyed or severely damaged more than 20,000 Palestinian homes, 148 schools, 15 hospitals and 45 primary healthcare centers, according to the United Nations development agency.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769043

198 Palestinians from Gaza pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque

GAZA CITY (Ma‘an) 27 Nov — Dozens of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip headed to pray in East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior said. Buses carrying worshipers over the age of 60 headed early Friday towards the Erez crossing from areas across the Gaza Strip and then to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Gaza Ministry of Interior said that 198 Palestinians headed to the holy site and would be returning after Friday prayers.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769045

Other news

IDF recommends Israel bolster Palestinian Authority to prevent further security deterioration

JPost 25 Nov by Yaakov Lappin — The IDF has recommended the government take a series of steps to strengthen the Palestinian Authority and its security forces, which the defense establishment perceives as a moderating influence, as a way to help prevent further deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank and Israel. Recommendations included enabling PA security forces to acquire more firearms and armored vehicles and releasing Palestinian prisoners with light security offenses. Additional suggestions include increasing the number of Israeli work visas for West Bank Palestinians, to bolster the Palestinian economy and to moderate the ongoing terrorism against Israelis. According to assessments, the IDF has been concerned about the potential future disintegration of the PA for the last two months, a scenario that could occur if violence spikes and spreads anarchy across the West Bank.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/IDF-recommends-Israel-strengthens-Palestinian-Authority-abate-security-deterioration-435379

Haaretz Editorial: IDF ‘gestures’ are simply steps to continue the occupation

27 Nov — The same sober, realistic army that knew there was no military solution to the occupation is offering a band-aid solution that will ultimately bring the responsibility for the situation onto its own head — The IDF’s recommendations to the government to ease the Palestinians’ conditions in order to calm down the uprising in the occupied territories should raise a number of questions. On the face of it these steps are worthy gestures, like increasing the number of work permits for Palestinians in Israel, lifting restrictions at the checkpoints, strengthening the Palestinian Authority and equipping it with weapons and releasing Palestinian prisoners. The army once again emerges as a sober, realistic organization that understands there is no military solution to the situation in the territories . . . But this very same army is acting contrary to its own recommendations. It is expanding its authority continuously in its acts against a civilian population, breaking into houses, harassing civilians at road barriers and checkpoints, and in many cases turning a blind eye to settlers’ illegal activity. The IDF, which declares that the government isn’t restricting its authority to act, is acting with force alone. It’s a pity it doesn’t use its broad authority to restrict its own aggressive acts. The steps the army proposes, which are described as gestures, are based on the assumption that the Palestinian uprising stems from dissatisfaction with the conditions of occupation, as though it were a prisoners rebellion over their prison conditions. Such ideas feed the illusion that if only the occupation were eased, if more Palestinians could work in Israel and a few dozen prisoners were freed, the occupation itself could continue tranquilly and pleasantly. Submitting the recommendations for easing the Palestinians’ conditions is therefore no more than a tactical discussion between the IDF and the government on the way Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah should be occupied.

http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.688692

Israel to coordinate with Google, YouTube to censor Palestinian videos of conflict

IMEMC/Agencies 27 Nov by Saed Bannoura — The Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Member of Knesset Tzipi Hotovely, held meetings this week with representatives of YouTube and Google, to find ways of cooperating to censor Palestinian videos from occupied Palestine, videos she dubbed as “inciting violence and terrorism.” Israeli daily Maariv said Hotovely will be working with Google and YouTube officials in a joint mechanism that will be in charge of “monitoring and preventing” any publication of materials deemed by Tel Aviv to be “inflammatory.” . . . Hotovely said that she received a comprehensive review mechanism for companies to monitor the films that allegedly incite violence, claiming that the supposed ‘incitement videos’ drive young children to go out and stab . . . The Israeli move comes amidst escalating tension in occupied Palestine, and a large number of videos, including those showing Israeli soldiers and officers killing Palestinians execution-style after injuring them, and many videos that in general highlight the suffering of the Palestinian people, living under the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. The Israeli coordination with Google and YouTube has very serious implications, and many journalists have spoken out in opposition, saying it is a direct assault on the Freedom of the Press. All foreign journalists who report in the Occupied Territories are required to register with the Israeli military, and any footage that they film is required to go through the Israeli Military Censor’s office before it can be released. With the recent advances in technology, many Palestinians and other civilians have been able to post videos uncensored online. The Israeli government has frequently voiced its discontent with this development, and has worked to find ways to continue to censor videos coming out of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74028

Israeli journalists slam Netanyahu over closure of Arabic media outlets

+972 mag 26 Nov by Haggai Matar — The government shut down two Arabic-language outlets last week, leaving nearly 30 journalists jobless. The Union of Israeli Journalists: ‘Shutting down media outlets is nearly unheard of in democratic regimes.’ — The Union of Journalists in Israel sent a letter to Prime Minister and Communications Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday, protesting the shutting down of two Arabic-language media outlet last week. As reported on the media watchdog site The Seventh Eye, police and Shin Bet agents raided and shut down the newsroom of veteran newspaper, Sawt al-Haq wa Al-Hurriya, as well as the news website PLS48, while confiscating computers and other equipment. The raids were conducted due to the fact their publishers belong to a corporation owned by the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, which was made illegal last week. Approximately 30 journalists lost their job in one fell swoop. The letter, which was signed by union chairman Yair Tarchitsky and was approved by the secretariat, stated that “The shutting down of media outlets by security forces is a drastic step that is nearly unheard of in democratic regimes, specifically in Israel. We see this move as a direct threat to both freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Israel — two cornerstones of democracy — which must only be carried out in the most extreme cases.”

http://972mag.com/israeli-journalists-slam-netanyahu-over-closure-of-arabic-media-outlets/114221/

Israel to shut down the only Palestinian theater in Jerusalem

26 Nov by Abir Kopty — The Palestinian National Theatre “Al Hakawati” published today an appeal to Jerusalem institutions and businessmen in the city to save the theatre from closure during the next 48 hours. According to the theatre’s statement, director Amer Khalil, received a phone call on Thursday morning 11/26/2015 from the Israeli Enforcement and Collection Authority (ECA), responsible for debt collection and law enforcement, notifying him on the intention to complete the seizure of the theatre building in 48 hours. The statement also added that two weeks ago the Israeli ECA seized the bank account of the theatre and handed a notification on the building seizure to the director. Since then, the management tried to appeal to many bodies seeking financial support in order to be able to cover its amounting debt to the Israeli authorities (including the municipality, National Insurance and electricity company), so far for no avail, according to the statement. To many this could be seem as a normal procedure of a state collecting debt from citizens, however, in Jerusalem’s complex situation and the vulnerability of Palestinian institutions under the Israeli occupation and oppression machinery, the issue becomes political par excellence . . . Al Hakawati was never immune from Israeli oppression machinery. According to the theatre management, Israel has shut down Al Hakawati activities for more than 35 times. In 2008 the Israeli Police deployed it’s forces at Al-Hakawati and barred it from holding a cultural festival which was entitled “Jerusalem, the Arab Cultural Capital for 2009”. Again in 2013, Israel shut down children’s puppet festival host by the theatre. (Continued)

https://abirkopty.wordpress.com/2015/11/26/israel-to-shut-down-the-only-palestinian-theatre-in-jerusalem/

Israel using Dutch dogs to terrorize Palestinians

EI 27 Nov by Adri Nieuwhof — This video shows Israeli forces using a dog to attack and injure 20-year-old Ahmad Shteiwi as he participated in an anti-occupation protest in the West Bank village of Kufr Qaddoum, near Nablus, in March 2012. It is one of numerous instances of Israeli forces setting dogs on unarmed Palestinian civilians, including children – a violent tactic reminiscent of US police practices against Black citizens. The Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq and Dutch lawmakers are calling on the Netherlands to immediately halt the annual export of dozens of police and military dogs to Israel . . . After the images of the 2012 attack on Shteiwi emerged, causing embarrassment to Israel, the army announced it would temporarily stop using dogs at demonstrations. But Israel’s use of the animals against Palestinians has not stopped. In March, a video emerged of Israeli soldiers setting dogs on a Palestinian child in Beit Ommar in December 2014:

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/israel-using-dutch-dogs-terrorize-palestinians

‘Israel’ removed from Jordan’s census forms

Ynet 25 Nov by Roi Kais — Jordanian census officials were forced on Tuesday to remove Israel as a possible place of birth from census forms due to a huge public uproar on social network sites. For the first time in 11 years, Jordan will conduct a census at the end of November, the sixth since its founding. Public figures, politicians and trade unions called for a boycott of the census, arguing that the reference to Israel erases the Palestinian identity and indicates a normalization of relations with Israel and the Jews . . . Jordanians are also expressing their bitterness on social network sites and many threatened not to welcome the employees of the Central Bureau of Statistics, despite the threat of fines and even jail time for those who disrupt the census . . . But public pressure won out and on Tuesday the census spokesman announced that the option of Israel as a place of birth had been removed from census forms. “There are only six options besides Jordan – Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya,” he said.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4730746,00.html

Five resolutions in favor of Palestine approved by UN General Assembly

IMEMC/Agencies 26 Nov — The overwhelming majority of General Assembly of the United Nations, Wednesday, voted on five draft resolutions in favor of Palestine. The decision comes after the Assembly discussed the two articles, “the Palestinian Cause” and “the Conditions in the Middle East.” According to Al Ray, the first resolution was entitled, “Using Amicable Methods to Resolve the Palestinian Cause”. The voting results were 148 in favor to 6 against, with 8 abstentions. The second resolution regarding “Jerusalem” passed with 144 votes in favor to 6 against, and 10 abstentions. The third resolution was entitled, “The Informational Program about the Palestinian Cause”, which is being handled by the administration of media affairs in the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and passed with 147 votes in favor to 7 against, and 9 abstentions.

http://www.imemc.org/article/74024

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