Israeli soldiers abducted, on Monday evening, sixteen Palestinians, and assaulted dozens, including two journalists, in Bab al-Amoud area, in the occupied capital, Jerusalem, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center In Silwan (Silwanic) has reported.

Silwanic said dozens of soldiers and police officers chased, detained, and assaulted many Palestinians, including children, before abducting one journalist, identified as Ahmad Abu Sbeih.

Silwanic also stated that the soldiers assaulted a female journalist, identified as Nisreen Salem, along with her sister Sajda and their mother, causing various cuts and bruises, before abducting Nisreen.

The soldiers also assaulted dozens of residents, and fired concussion grenades and gas bombs at them, causing many injuries, before abducting many of them.

Fifteen of the abducted Palestinians have been identified as:

1. Anan Hammour.
2. Ribhi Ashraf Kafra’ani.
3. Mohammad Wajeeh Abu Daoud.
4. Yasser Qerrish.
5. Mohammad Jamjoum.
6. Ahmad Siyam.
7. Hussein Issa.
8. Tamer al-Mohtaseb.
9. Sajeda Salem.
10. Nisreen Salem (Journalist).
11. Ahmad Abu Sbeih (Journalist).
12. Sultan Sarhan.
13. Islam Rajabi.
14. Luay Rajabi.
15. Sufian Natsha.
16. Unknown (was abducted while trying to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque).

(Source / 19.10.2021)

Israeli soldiers demolished, on Monday evening, a Palestinian home in the western area of Hebron city, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank; earlier Monday, the soldiers also demolished an under-construction home southwest of Hebron.

Media sources said several army jeeps, accompanied by bulldozers, invaded the Farsh al-Hawa area, west of Hebron city, and demolished the recently constructed home, its surrounding walls, and a well, owned by a lawyer, identified as Eyad Amro.

The Israeli army claimed the two-story home, its surrounding walls, and the well were all built without a permit from the “Civil Administration Office,” of the Israeli military occupation.

The sources added that the family recently built the property, and just finished furnishing it before the army demolished it.

On Monday morning, the soldiers demolished an under-construction home in the Sika village, southwest of Hebron.

(Source / 19.10.2021)

Israeli soldiers injured, on Monday evening, many Palestinians at the Arraba town junction, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Local sources said dozens of Palestinians gathered at the junction, protesting the escalating Israeli violations, before the soldiers invaded the area, and started firing live rounds, gas bombs, and concussion grenades at them.

Many Palestinians suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation, in addition to cuts and bruises; the army also chased many residents while trying to abduct them.

Furthermore, the soldiers invaded various areas near Ya’bad town, southwest of Jenin, and forced the Palestinians away.

(Source / 19.10.2021)

The Israeli government, its “Justice Ministry” and “Interior Ministry” have approved the revocation of the Jerusalem residency and ID card of a native Jerusalemite Palestinian lawyer, who is also a French citizen and a former political prisoner.

Amjad Abu Assab, the head of the Jerusalem Detainees’ Committee, said that the “Legal Advisor” of Israel’s “Justice Ministry,” has approved the revocation of the ID card of Salah al-Hammouri.

He denounced the decision and said is yet another Israeli attempt to force the Palestinians out of their city.

Abu Assab added that, in late July of this year, 2021, the Israeli Interior Minister, Ayelet Shaked, said that she supports and approved of a decision that would revoke al-Hammouri’s ID card and residency and that she was only awaiting the approval of the Justice Ministry.

It is worth mentioning that al-Hammouri is a former political prisoner who was held by Israel for more many years during several arrests starting in the year 2001 when he was imprisoned for five months, and additional four months in the year 2004, under the illegal Administrative Detention orders, without charges or trial, and was abducted again in 2005 and was imprisoned for seven years.

He was abducted again in the year 2017 and was imprisoned for 13 months, and upon his release, he received an order barring him from entering the West Bank for two years.

Several years ago, Israel detained al-Hammouri’s seven month pregnant French wife, for three days, after she landed at the airport in Tel Aviv and deported her back to France.

Salah was also frequently denied access to the West Bank, and was denied the right to travel out of Palestine to meet with his wife and son, under the allegation that he “poses a threat to Israel’s national security.”

Even though Salah is also a French citizen, not only he is unable to travel to France but has also been denied family reunification with his wife and child.

(Source / 19.10.2021)

Press Release: Al-Mezan Center For Human Rights: Earlier this morning, the Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked officially notified 36-year-old Palestinian-French human rights defender Salah Hammouri of the revocation of his permanent residency status in Jerusalem based on a “breach of allegiance to the State of Israel.” 

This decision comes after being approved by the Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and Minister of Justice Gideon Sa’ar. The initiation of his residency revocation and forced deportation, pursuant to Amendment No. 30 to the Entry into Israel Law of 1952, comes on the heels of the Israeli apartheid regime’s targeted harassment campaign against Salah Hammouri, a vocal Palestinian human rights advocate, long-time employee at Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the former prisoner.

In communicating the decision to move forward with residency revocation on the basis of “breach of allegiance,” the Minister of Interior cites intentionally vague and broad allegations of “terroristic activities” and/or affiliation with “terrorist entities,” based on withheld “secret information” withheld. 

The withholding of “secret information” mirrors the Israeli occupation’s administrative detention practices, in stark violation of fair trial standards, which place Palestinians under indefinite detention based on secret material that cannot be disclosed to the detainees or their lawyers.

To this end, she further cites recommendations based on his past history of arrests—most of which were under administrative detention, without charge or trial. Notably, the Ministry explicitly alludes to the notable escalation of permanent residency revocation of Palestinian Jerusalemites for “breach of allegiance,” as exemplified by the case of Salah Hammouri, by stating that the decision was necessary “to deter others from breaching allegiance to the State of Israel.”

As a Palestinian human rights defender who challenges Israel’s widespread and systematic human rights violations and voices legitimate calls for justice and accountability, Salah has endured constant Israeli attempts to intimidate him and his family, including previous arbitrary arrests, banning from entering the West Bank for almost 16 months, and the deportation of his wife, Elsa Lefort, a French national, separating him from his wife and son in 2016.

Previously, on 3 September 2020, the Israeli occupying authorities notified  Salah Hammouri of the Ministry’s intention to revoke his permanent residency status for so-called “breach of allegiance” to the State of Israel. Notably, Salah and his legal counsel, HaMoked Center for the Defence of the Individual and Advocate Lea Tsemeel, submitted written and oral claims challenging the decision.

Alarmed by the imminent threat of having his residency revoked, which denies Salah’s basic human rights to family life, freedom of movement and residence, including the right to leave and to return to his country, freedom of expression, as enshrined in Article 19 of the ICCPR and freedom of peaceful assembly and association, in line with Articles 21 and 22 of the ICCPR.^[1]

Residency policies embedded in Israel’s regime of racial domination and oppression are designed to maintain a perilous legal status for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and uphold an Israeli-Jewish demographic majority in the city.

Israel’s policy of revoking Palestinian residency rights in East Jerusalem further violates Article 43 of the Hague Regulations and Article 64 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which stipulates that the Occupying Power may not act as a sovereign legislator or extend its own legislation over the occupied territory.[2] Moreover, the criterion of allegiance to Israel is illegal. In fact, international humanitarian law explicitly forbids the Occupying Power from demanding allegiance from the occupied population, as stated in Article 45 Hague Regulations and Article 68(3) of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

[3] Furthermore, the transfer of Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem is considered a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.[4] The revocation of residency policy forms part of a widespread and systematic transfer policy directed against a civilian population., which may also amount to a crime against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.[5]

END

^[1] Articles 19, 21, and 22, ICCPR.

[2] Hague Convention (IV) Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and Its Annex: Regulations Concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land (adopted 18 October 1907, entry into force 26 January 1910) (henceforth the “Hague Regulations”) Article 43, Hague Regulations, and Article 64, Fourth Geneva Convention.

[3] Article 45, Hague Regulations, and Article 68(3), Fourth Geneva Convention.

[4] Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (adopted 17 July 1998, entry into force 1 July 2002) 2187 UNTS 3. (henceforth “Rome Statute”)

[5] Article 7, Rome Statute

(Source / 19.10.2021)

Israeli soldiers abducted, on Tuesday at dawn, a Palestinian man in Rantis village, northwest of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

At least five armored military vehicles invaded the village before more than twenty soldiers surrounded the home of Ibrahim Khalaf and tried to smash the front door, but he opened it and the soldiers broke into the property and ransacked it.

The soldiers ordered Ibrahim to hand them his ID card, and when they realized he is not the man they are looking for, they left the property and invaded the home of his brother Fakher ‘Aahed Ibrahim Khalaf, and ransacked the property before abducting him.

It is worth mentioning that Fakher Khalaf, 35, is a married father of three children.

(Source / 19.10.2021)