Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Israeli colonies expand, Palestinians face home demolitions

A Palestinian home demolished in Beit Hanina, occupied East Jerusalem, July 2009. (Silan Dallal/ActiveStills)

Bulldozers, backed by Israeli soldiers and police forces, razed a Bedouin Palestinian encampment in Isawiya, a village northeast of Jerusalem on Wednesday, 27 October. Israeli forces destroyed tents and other structures that were home to six families, according to Ma'an News Agency ("Israel Razes Bedouin Camp," 27 October 2010).

"Hani al-Eisaway of the Isawiya Land Defense committee said that the Israeli [forces] bulldozed more than 50 dunams (12.5 acres) of land," Ma'an reported. The encampment was close to the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

Israel has designated the area where the homes were razed as the "E1 zone," an area in the occupied West Bank and centered in East Jerusalem, where Maale Adumim and other nearby settlement blocs are being planned to connect together.

The massive settlement project would incorporate Givat Zeev and Ariel settlement blocs in the north, Maale Adumim in the center, and Gush Etzion in the south. The plan would also stretch east, connecting to settlements in the West Bank's Jordan Valley -- which Israel has designated a closed military zone, making it off-limits to most Palestinians.

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