Israeli settlers 'occupy 23 homes' in East Jerusalem neighborhood

[Jefferson23]

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers early Tuesday occupied 23 houses in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan south of the Old City of Jerusalem, a local information center said.

Wadi Hilweh Information Center said in a statement that "settlers of the Elad (Ir David) Association" stormed Silwan at 1:30 a.m. escorted by Israeli soldiers and forcibly evicted the residents of an apartment and occupied it, in addition to several vacant homes.

The houses belong to Baydoun, al-Karaki, Abu Sbeih, al-Zawahra, al-Abbasi, al-Khayyat, Qarain and al-Yamani families, the statement said.

The Wadi Hilweh Center called the act a "unprecedented settlement attack."

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=730914

[azurnoir]

1. Under IDF escort seems this could be a government approved move

not that it'll be announced as such but as it was done under the auspices of IDF it certainly seems to be that way

sadly it seems our ProIsrael friends are more interested in discussing what some Palestinian/Arab said as opposed to what Israel actually does I wonder why that is?

[Jefferson23]

2. I think the message is consistent..see, Israel can't possibly cede any land and be safe. n/t

[Jefferson23]

3. Rightist group chalking up biggest settler influx in East Jerusalem in decades

Despite recent setbacks, right-wing Elad is expanding Jewish presence in the Palestinian Silwan quarter; locals say Palestinian sellers 'betrayed' their families.

By Nir Hasson

In a strategic move by the Elad nonprofit organization, dozens of young Jewish settlers entered some 25 apartments in seven buildings in the East Jerusalem village of Silwan on Monday night. This was the largest influx of settlers into buildings in that part of the city in 20 years.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.618470

[King_David]

4. I can't get beyond the paywall , but did they purchase the apartments

Or did they just take them over?

Your part posted says something about :
"Palestinian sellers 'betrayed' their families"

[Jefferson23]

5. No paywall here:

*A group of Jews moved into recently purchased buildings in the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Silwan overnight Monday, prompting an angry protest by local residents in which a border policeman was lightly injured.

The move-in was timed for the dead of night to mitigate security concerns, and also to potentially embarrass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently in the US to attend the UN General Assembly and to meet with US President Barack Obama and other officials, the NRG news site reported.

The structures in the neighborhood, which abuts the Old City, were purchased over the last several years by an American-based company, Kendall Finances, one of several groups seeking to expand the Jewish presence in Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

Despite their attempt at stealth, members of the Jewish group were confronted by a large crowd of Arab residents, who harassed them with shouts, rocks and fireworks until they were dispersed by riot police. The injured officer, who was hit by a rock, was treated at the scene.

Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat blasted the new settlement in a statement, saying: “This morning, illegal Israeli settlers protected by occupation forces entered seven buildings in the neighborhood of Silwan.”

He claimed that “a total of seven Palestinian families were left homeless” as a result.

Erekat accused the Israeli government of being run “by the settlers and for settlers. It serves the objective of altering the character of Jerusalem through isolating, containing and confining Palestinian existence, allowing for more Israeli land grabs and attempts at changing the identity and demography of Palestine and particularly of occupied East Jerusalem.”

The move was organized in part by Elad, an NGO that oversees the Ir David archaeological park, also in Silwan, and is dedicated to facilitating Jewish settlement in Arab East Jerusalem. In recent years several new Jewish neighborhoods or complexes have sprung up in heavily populated areas of East Jerusalem, often accompanied by protests or legal challenges. Ir David itself houses about 50 families in a small community.

Silwan residents said that they questioned the sale of the buildings, which comprise some 25 apartments in total, to Jews, and noted that the buildings belonged to three established families in the neighborhood. However, Avi Segal, a lawyer for Kendall Finances, said that the company “chose to invest in Jerusalem houses, and they were purchased legally.”

The mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, said he was unfamiliar with the details but called the entry of Jewish residents to Silwan a “criminal act” that furthered the “Judaization” of Jerusalem. He called on the Israeli government to stop the settlers and arrest them.

in full: http://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-of-jews-move-into-arab-east-jerusalem-locale/

[azurnoir]

6. you say the posted part says:Your part posted says something about : "Palestinian sellers 'betrayed'

can you cut paste and bold that for us please because I must have missed it

King_David
4. I can't get beyond the paywall , but did they purchase the apartments

View profile
Or did they just take them over?

Your part posted says something about :
"Palestinian sellers 'betrayed' their families"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113482759#post4

[King_David]

9. You can't see that in Jeffersons post 3 above ?

It's even bolded in his post.

Read it again , slowly.

Try reading it aloud , that helps sometimes .

Jeffersons Post 3. :

" locals say Palestinian sellers 'betrayed' their families. "

[azurnoir]

19. you're correct I didn't notice it it

somethings happen only once a year

[King_David]

20. No prob

[Israeli]

7. Elad +

Ateret Cohanim + Nahalat Shimon
= Irving Moskowitz.

Of course its government approved azurnoir but who finances it ???

[Jefferson23]

11. How helpful that money is coming in, huh? Americans, lending a helping hand:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Moskowitz

For anyone who is unaware of his background.

[oberliner]

8. They actually bought the homes, right?

I'm not sure I understand how "occupy" is being used in this next or why this is an "unprecedented settlement attack".

Is it not true that these homes were purchased from their owners? Are Jewish people just not allowed to live in Silwan?

[King_David]

10. It's confusing ,

It seems the apartments were purchased.

[Jefferson23]

12. EJ is occupied territory, the sale is claimed to have been legal..perhaps it was, that is not

clear at this point.

The larger political issue you're confused about..how so, exactly?

Left-wing politicians criticized the move. Meretz chairwoman Zahava Gal-on warned that it could “inflame the city” and said that increasing the population of “Jewish settlers in Silwan is part of a strategic plan to establish right-wing, Jewish enclaves in the heart of Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem.” That plan, she charged, was designed to prevent a contiguous East Jerusalem and to block the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Jerusalem city councilman Pepe Alalu, also of Meretz, called the move-in a “provocative” act by people who want to continue the tense situation in the city, and said that “no one can argue that Silwan is an Arab village, with no place for Jewish settlement.”

Meanwhile, right-wing MKs praised the development. Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely of Likud welcomed “the trend of strengthening East Jerusalem… Jews have the right to purchase homes in East Jerusalem and to live there without molestation, especially since no one is stopping the trend of Arabs taking over Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem.”

MK Ze’ev Elkin, also of Likud, praised the move as one that would help ensure that one of the “most important historical sites from Jewish history remain accessible to the entire Jewish people.”

The Ir David area, also known as the City of David, is believed by some archaeologists to be the site of the original palace of King David, the biblical ruler of Israel and conqueror of Jerusalem.

The new Jewish residents of Silwan are part of a larger trend of returning the area to its “historical owners, the Jewish people,” MK Moti Yogev of the right-wing Jewish Home party said, and added that Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem helped to ensure that a “united Jerusalem” remained as Israel’s capital.

[oberliner]

13. Why did the Palestinians sell this property to these people?

That is the part that is confusing to me.

It does not appear that the land was taken by force but was rather legally obtained via sale.

It seems strange that Palestinian building owners would engage in such a transaction, doesn't it?

[Jefferson23]

14. It's not clear. If it took place due to financial incentives that may answer it in the short term.

Yet for obvious reasons it created a greater political problem which also may not be recognized
as a legal property transaction due to the OT status...I don't know.

It clearly is causing more tensions now since the plan for the Likud is to keep all of Jerusalem
as their capital, regardless.

[oberliner]

15. Regarding Jerusalem

This article is interesting:

WHO GETS JERUSALEM?
Olmert and Abbas departed from transcendental claims to holy space and decided to base a solution on the practical challenge of governing the holy sites — so as to maximize access for all pilgrims from the three Abrahamic religions — and adherence to the principle that sovereignty derives from the consent of the governed.

The leaders agreed that Jewish neighborhoods should remain under Israeli sovereignty, while Arab neighborhoods would revert to Palestinian sovereignty. (Olmert even showed me an architectural sketch for a symbolic Palestinian checkpoint leading to the American Colony Hotel in Sheik Jarrah.) At the same time, Abbas suggested that East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem would be municipalities, but the city as a whole would not be divided. “There would be an overall body to coordinate between them,” he said.

The really creative ideas were about the disposition of the Old City and holy places — the Islamic sites of the Haram Al-Sharif (or Temple Mount), the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and so forth, which both sides agreed were indeed part of the “holy basin.” Olmert suggested that it be governed by a kind of custodial committee, made up of five countries: Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Israel. (Abbas was under the impression that as many as seven trustees might be involved, including Egypt and the Vatican.)

The trusteeship would maintain the holy sites and guarantee access for all religions; some kind of international force would administer it. Abbas accepted Olmert’s proposal in principle, as long as the two could agree on precisely what the holy basin was. And there was the rub.

Olmert wanted the holy basin to include not only the Old City but also the Mount of Olives, the so-called City of David (an archaeological site) and a considerable part of the Arab neighborhood of Silwan. Abbas was willing to define the holy basin as the Old City only, since the Mount of Olives includes the Palestinian neighborhood of A-Tur, and he was unwilling to exclude residents of A-Tur and Silwan from a future Palestinian state. He implied, but did not say, that these neighborhoods had been inflamed by Jewish settlers. The extremist Ateret Cohanim, a settlement organization, has moved into expropriated apartment blocks there.

Olmert knew his offer was an important concession, one that redeemed in its way the U.N. partition plan of 1947, which envisioned ancient Jerusalem as an international city. “You cannot come away from negotiations without a scar that will bleed for a long time,” Olmert reflected. “I, the mayor of Jerusalem, the man who stood in the front line advocating how the city was the one, undivided, eternal capital of the Jewish people, was the first to propose unambiguously not only the division of the city, which [Prime Minister Ehud] Barak did in a way, but to give up sovereignty over the entire holy basin. This is not something I did with joy; this is something I did with a broken heart.”

Abbas told me (as Olmert had) that he assumed the status quo regarding the governance of Islamic sites by a Palestinian religious authority would be preserved, and that he would try to get an endorsement for this plan from the Arab League.

And so the putatively impossible problem of Jerusalem now boiled down to the question of whether A-Tur and parts of Silwan would be excluded from Palestine and whether the Har Homa suburb would be excluded from Israel. I checked back with Olmert about the question of the holy basin, and he replied, “The exact lines were not drawn, but I believe it could easily be agreed.”

http://www.geneva-accord.org/mainmenu/a-plan-for-peace-that-still-could-be

[Jefferson23]

16. It was my understanding that Abbas was not allowed to leave the room with the maps at the time.

The Palestine Papers uncovered a good deal of what transpired, but as far as any creativity
that could result now about Jerusalem..I mean, really, from Bibi?

This is why I don't see this ending well for the Palestinians, unless they take their cause
to the streets in civil disobedience and the international courts.

[oberliner]

18. Probably

And certainly nothing creative will come from the Netanyahu camp. However, I do not see things ending well for the Palestinians if they take to the streets in civil disobedience. I think there needs to be a renewed effort to promote the Geneva Initiative and other similar pathways to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. And it ought to be a joint effort between like minded Israelis and Palestinians.

[azurnoir]

24. If the homes were purchased legally why the middle of the night home invasion tactics?

why no prior notice to the occupants? that is if there were no shenanigans involved in the sale?

[oberliner]

25. Good questions

I would like to know more details on exactly what transaction occurred here.

[Jefferson23]

17. snip* It was not immediately clear whether the Israeli settlement had gained access to

the properties fraudulently or if they had purchased the homes from their owners.

Rwaidy said they are looking into whether "fraud and deception" were used but said "this a tedious process which takes many years in Israeli courts".

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/14429-israeli-settlers-seize-seven-buildings-in-east-jerusalem

[Israeli]

21. Watch :

http://tv.social.org.il/en/sumarin-versus-kkl

http://tv.social.org.il/en/the-peacock-from-silwan-died-in-jaffa

[Jefferson23]

26. The manipulation and coordinated abuse from a well crafted system to displace these people

is disgusting. No incitement there, right? ugh

[Israeli]

30. Disgusting is too mild a word Jefferson23....

....words dont describe it .
Even pictures or videos dont help ....you have to be there and see with your own eyes what they are doing in Silwan .

You could take a virtual tour :

http://mondoweiss.net/2014/01/grows-occupied-jerusalem

The park is run by the Elad organization, a quasi-governmental group that has the sole privilege in Israel of being both a private entity and a municipal authority. In Jerusalem it functions akin to the Disney Corporation in Florida, except with religious calibrations at play to determine who are the newest residents.

Tourists love it tho .......they should issue them with blinkers before they get off the bus .

[Israeli]

22. Another organisation for you Jefferson23...

Emek Shaveh.

Home @ http://alt-arch.org/en/

Lots of info there .

A must read from one of its founders :

http://972mag.com/in-silwan-the-settlers-are-winning-big-time/97214/

[Jefferson23]

28. Thank you for the link, this deserves a thread of its own. I am going to post the summary and

conclusions..otherwise this link may go unnoticed:




From Territorial Contiguity to Historical Continuity
Asserting Israeli Control through National Parks in East Jerusalem

Summary and Conclusions


The national parks around Jerusalem’s Old City, from the Hinnom Valley to the Kidron
Stream and the Tzurim Valley, are part of the historic basin (“the holy basin”) of
Jerusalem. The parks surrounding the historic (holy) basin of the Old City will constitute
a green belt that comprises the heart of the political conflict in Jerusalem. The tourism
development at each site is based on its archaeological potential and the possibility of
public promotion.

On the surface, declaration of the areas around the Old City as national parks created an
infrastructure for Israeli activity that is not readily identified as political activity. But in
effect, the only activity necessary around a site such as the Old City is the preservation of
its archaeological sites. Alongside the real need for the preservation of certain structures,
such as the case of “The House of Bones” (Charnel House) in the Hinnom Valley, the
motivation to develop the national parks and invest in them reaches beyond their
historical or scientific importance. A striking example is the investment of millions to
restore the Sambuski Cemetery, whose restoration would have been doubtful were it not
for its politically strategic location.

Indeed, the declaration of an area as a national park is often questionable, and as we
explained, has often lacked clear archaeological considerations. For example, there is
no reasonable archaeological explanation for the specific investment in the Mt. Scopus
Slopes National Park – the site lacks archaeological significance. Emek Tzurim is a salient
example of a project – sifting of Temple Mount rubble – that could have taken place in an
open area, and not necessarily in a national park, or, moreover, in East Jerusalem.
Creating territorial contiguity and historical continuity is an action with several benefits
for the authorities: 1. A prominent Israeli presence; 2. Recognition of Israel’s historical
right to these lands; 3. Limitation of Palestinian presence; 4. Archaeological excavation
and preservation work that have marketing value. The Israeli public is attentive to new
archaeological findings and arrives en masse to sites following media exposure.

The struggle for the national parks in East Jerusalem is political. For this reason, it can be
assumed that the process of highlighting Jewish heritage in the ‘Green Belt’ will continue
for the long term. As long as the State of Israel feels that it is struggling to confirm its
sovereignty over ancient Jerusalem, the national parks will serve as a major factor. As a
result, the Antiquities Authority and the Nature and Parks Authority have much work
ahead. The path to a political agreement in Jerusalem passes through the decisions and
activities of these organs. In this sense, archaeological excavations and national parks
have the same effect as a range of Israeli political activities conducted in East Jerusalem,
and may even offer a broader effect – at least on the Israeli public.

Yonathan Mizrachi is an archeologist and one of the founders of Emek Shaveh.

http://alt-arch.org/en/

[Israeli]

23. The White House also condemned ....

....what it called the recent occupation of residential buildings in Silwan, an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem where several hundred hard-line Israeli settlers have moved in recent years. Earnest called the move "provocative" and said it would "escalate tensions at a moment when those tensions have already been high."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4577065,00.html

Also ...

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat responded to criticism lodged by the US over Israel's controversial plan to build some 2,500 new housing units in East Jerusalem, while Peace Now, a leftist NGO who first reported the move, slammed the prime minister for his "destructive policies."

In a striking public rebuke, the Obama administration warned Israel on Wednesday that plans for a controversial new housing project in East Jerusalem would distance Israel from "even its closest allies" and raise questions about its commitment to seeking peace with Palestinians

The White House said continued building in Jerusalem "poisons the atmosphere" with the Palestinians .

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4577065,00.html

[Jefferson23]

27. Yea, the WH is not happy about it, what they'll do in the end may never result in a viable

state for the Palestinians....bleak forecast.

I will say, I don't recall the use of the word, poison, to describe Israeli policy.

You have to appreciate this guys chutzpah: The White House said continued building in Jerusalem "poisons the atmosphere" with the Palestinians– to which Jerusalem's mayor Barkat responded that "the construction in Jerusalem is not poisonous or damaging, but rather necessary, important and will continue with full force".

The mayor continued, calling the condemnation akin to racism: "I will not cooperate with a construction freeze against the Jewish people in the capital of Israel. Discrimination based on religion, race and sex is illegal – it is not permitted in the US or in any other enlightened country.

[Israeli]

31. Obama has thrown in the towel .....

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4577208,00.html

yup ...bleak forecast.....do you think your next President will do any better ??

Discrimination based on religion, race and sex is illegal

...its not " chutzpah " .....its arrogance and hypocrisy .

[Jefferson23]

33. No US president will help end this disaster leaving the Palestinians a viable state, imho.

US elections on every level of government are riddled with lobby money of one sort
or another. Each general election cycle requires another astronomical amount of
money needed to run for office. Our military industrial complex is another piece
of it..it's like a monster that we keep feeding, despite the fact that it does not
bring peace, anywhere, for anyone.

When the American people demand better in a big way, the system can change.

[Jefferson23]

29. Israel approves 2,600 settler homes in East Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel is to press ahead with the planned construction of 2,610 settler homes in annexed East Jerusalem, a watchdog said Wednesday, angering Palestinian leaders and prompting US President Barack Obama to express concern.

The housing units, which have been slated for construction since 2012 in the neighborhood of Givat Hamatos, were given final approval last week, Peace Now said.

Hagit Ofran, spokeswoman for the Israeli non-governmental group, told AFP the government could now publish tenders for the project, but that it would be months before building actually began.

The watchdog said the plans damaged prospects for peace and an eventual independent Palestinian state.

"Givat Hamatos is destructive to the two-state solution," it said.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=731467

[Israeli]

32. Mr. Netanyahu’s Strange Course

Another Israeli Housing Project Threatens a Peace Deal

In what has become a depressingly familiar routine, Israel has given final approval for construction of 2,610 housing units in geographically sensitive parts of East Jerusalem that will make it harder, maybe impossible, to reach a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

The timing of the decision, which came shortly before a meeting on Wednesday between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, also seems familiar: another in a string of calculated embarrassments that over the years have undermined American efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. These decisions inevitably raise tensions between Israel and its main ally, and did so again this week.

Mr. Netanyahu blamed the Israeli group, Peace Now,....... ( whats next ?? ) ..... for trying to sabotage the White House meeting with Mr. Obama by calling attention to an official notice from the Israeli government approving the housing project. But the problem is not the disclosure but the fact of the project itself. Building those units in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamatos would create a continuum of Jewish settlements, blocking Palestinian neighborhoods in South Jerusalem from Bethlehem and the rest of the West Bank where Palestinians hope to establish a state.

The approval was compounded by the fact that on Tuesday Jewish settlers associated with Elad, a settler organization dedicated to preventing any political division of Jerusalem, moved into 26 apartments in seven buildings in the politically delicate, predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and most of the world considers it to be illegally occupied by Israel. When a nine-month, American-led effort on an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal collapsed in April, American officials put a lot of the blame on Israel for barging ahead with settlements that undermine trust and shrink the land available for a Palestinian state.

Continued @
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/opinion/another-israeli-housing-project-threatens-a-peace-deal.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region®ion=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region&_r=1

[Jefferson23]

34. Bibi always sounds like an ass because he'll say anything, anything at all. n/t