Israel Continues Colonization (dossier 2009–10)
3/8/2010
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International opposition to Israel's settler colony construction has become increasingly outspoken, with the Quartet Road Map as the main diplomatic reference. Since the start of 2009, the Israeli government and state agencies have escalated in word and deed their defiance of calls to respect the ban against colonization, wanton destruction and dispossession. The following dossier of recent media reports, official statements and relevant documents tracks developments in the bureaus and on the ground through 2009-10.
Entries are chronological, with historical documents linked in their context. Please scroll to bottom for latest developments—HLRN more...
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Jerusalem Mayor Delays Silwan Demolition Plan
3/2/2010
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Herb Keinon, The Jerusalem Post
Follows request by PM to allow more time for agreement with local residents. more...
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Israel to Triple Demolitions of Bedouin Construction
2/18/2010
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The Interior Ministry, the Israel Lands Administration and the southern district of the Israel Police have jointly resolved to triple the demolition rate of illegal construction in the scattered Bedouin communities in the Negev. The decision came at a meeting about a month ago.
According to data obtained by Haaretz, 2009 saw an increase over the previous year in the demolition of illegal Bedouin homes and efforts to prevent illegal Bedouin construction. Last year, 254 structures were destroyed. more...
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Campaign to Save Mamilla Jerusalem Cemetery
2/10/2010
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Jerusalem's Mamilla (Ma’man Allah) Cemetery has been a Muslim burial ground since the 7th Century, when companions of the Prophet Muhammad reportedly were buried there. Earlier, it was the site of a Byzantine church and cemetery. It is the burial ground of fallen soldiers and officials of the legendary Salah ul-Din's 12th Century rule, as well as the final resting place for generations of prominent Jerusalem families and notables. The Israeli government is now ordering a significant portion of this Palestinian national patrimony to be destroyed with hundreds of human remains so that the Simon Wiesenthal Center of Los Angeles CA can build a “Center for Human Dignity - Museum of Tolerance.” Human rights organizations and individuals whose rights to this sacred ground are being violated have petitioned against the cemetery's destruction and desecration.
more...
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Human Rights Groups Urge Meaningful Geneva 4 Conference
2/5/2010
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Human rights organizations have addressed the Government of Switzerland, as depositary of the Geneva Conventions, to convene the High Contracting Parties (HCPs) of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians in Time of War (1949). In a formal submission, the organizations echoed the call of the UN Fact-finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict and General Assembly resolution A/64/10. The organizations' concept paper details the obligations and options of the HCPs to "respect and ensure respect" for the Convention by way of enforcement through international cooperation, beyond the political talks that have characterized past conferences of the HCPs.
more...
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Yemen: Third Country Resettlement Slowing - UNHCR
2/2/2010
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SANAA, 1 February 2010 (IRIN) - Deteriorating security in Yemen since August 2009 has negatively affected efforts by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and recipient governments to resettle refugees.
Some third country governments were reluctant to send missions to Yemen to process resettlement cases, UNHCR external relations officer in Sanaa Andrew Knight told IRIN. more...
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UN Habitat Programme for Palestine, 2010–11
1/28/2010
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In April 2007, the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT approved the 2008-2013 Medium-term Strategic and Institutional Plan, which intends in particular to promote the alignment of UN-HABITAT’s normative and operational activities at country level.
The UN-HABITAT Programme Document for the occupied Palestinian territory is one of the tangible components of the Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan and serves as a strategic tool meant to guide all UN-HABITAT activities over a two-year period 2010-2011. more...
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EGYPT: Pig-cull Induced Street Rubbish a “National Scandal”
1/26/2010
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The Egyptian government’s decision to cull all of the country’s 300,000 pigs in May 2009 is increasingly being viewed by experts and officials as a gross mistake as piles of organic waste the pigs once ate accumulate in Cairo’s streets, posing serious health hazards.
The month-long cull was ostensibly to stem the spread of H1N1 influenza, but the government later said it was simply a general health measure. more...
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Palestine: Bedouin Home Demolished near Ramallah
1/20/2010
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Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by the Israeli army, demolished the home of Hassan Salem Al-Ka’abna in the village of Jab’a, southeast of Ramallah on Tuesday.
According to Salem al-Ka’abna, Hassan’s son, the family had not received formal notification of the demolition. The home was demolished because the roof is constructed out of aluminum, which requires an Israeli planning permit. more...
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Jerusalem: Excavations Blamed for Latest Silwan Collapse
1/20/2010
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Jerusalem – Ma’an – The Wadi Hilwah Information Centre reported another collapse in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City, creating a 12 meter square hole in the middle of Wadi Hilwah street.
Jawad Siam, head of the information centre, said that the latest collapse in Wadi Hilwah took place over a 10 meter deep tunnel and is a few meters from the previous cave in at the beginning of January, as a result of Israeli excavations in the area. more...
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