Witnesses: Settlers, forces expand Halamish settlement

[Jefferson23]

** Onward and upward, and all that.

January 23, 2013

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Jewish settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces, on Tuesday began work expanding Halamish settlement in the central West Bank, witnesses said.

Settlers and Israeli forces arrived at dawn with trucks and bulldozers and set up 50 mobile homes on land belonging to Nabi Saleh, a village near Ramallah, witnesses told Ma'an.

Nabi Saleh is a center of popular resistance in the West Bank, and holds weekly demonstrations against the confiscation of its land and the takeover of its natural spring.

Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land are illegal under international law.

http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=558288

[azurnoir]

1. and the beat goes on n/t

[Scootaloo]

2. It's not illegal if you never get punished for it.

[geek tragedy]

3. But, but, but, ,,, snowballs! nt

[shira]

4. Maan and Mondoweiss reporting about "Witnesses"?

How about a credible source for this?

Here's something from 2 weeks ago showing just the opposite about settlers in that area:
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=298529

[Jefferson23]

5. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..you questioning sources is hilarious. Thanks for that.

Background on the demonstrations at a-Nabi Saleh
Published:
2 Jan 2013

Demonstrations at a-Nabi Saleh began in December 2009 to protest the takeover by settlers, probably from Halamish, of the al-Qus spring and other village-owned land. The Israeli military and border police have stationed forces at the site to prevent Palestinian demonstrators from reaching the spring or the road beside it, which also serves settlers, explaining this as a pre-emptive measure to prevent villagers from throwing stones at the settlers.

Security
Security forces disperse a demonstration in the village of a-Nabi Saleh, 21 May 2010. Photo: Oren Ziv, activestills.org

Israeli security forces frequently halt the demonstration while it is still inside the village, in effect imposing a curfew on the entire village. Security forces make extensive use of crowd control means as soon as the demonstration begins, without any violence having been directed at them. From the outset, the demonstrations at a-Nabi Saleh have taken the form of non-violent processions, setting out from the village center and proceeding to the spring in order to protest the unlawful takeover of village lands. The early demonstrations reached the main road that separates the village from the spring and the settlement, and there they were dispersed by the Israeli security forces.

After several demonstrations, the security forces prevented the procession from leaving the village. In most cases, after the demonstrations were dispersed, confrontations ensued between security forces and stone-throwing youths. Sometimes these conflicts lasted for hours after the dispersal of the demonstration. Over time, the intensity of the conflicts with security forces diminished. At present, only a few dozen people take part in the demonstrations and there is far less stone-throwing. For further information on the conduct of Israeli security forces at the weekly demonstrations in the village, see B'Tselem's report "Show of Force."

On 9 December 2011 Mustafa Tamimi, 28, was killed while throwing stones during a weekly a-Nabi Saleh demonstration; a tear gas canister hit him in the head.
http://www.btselem.org/demonstrations/a_nabi_saleh

Show of Force: Israeli Military Conduct in Weekly Demonstrations in a-Nabi Saleh

http://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201109_show_of_force

[shira]

6. There you go, posting articles that have zip to do with the OP.

Why not just admit you have no credible sources to back up Maan and Mondoweiss?

[Jefferson23]

7. Oh yes, and your source has refuted what, exactly? Poor shira.

The long documented history of the area by B'tselem is strong..you know this.

Witnesses are only suspect when brought to you by a Palestinian publication...ok.

[shira]

8. The article I posted from 2 weeks ago shows a move in the right direction....

It reports the complete opposite.

You guys should be applauding that rather than relying on sources known for their anti-Israel smear jobs.

==========

Witnesses.

You mean those who said 500 died in Jenin?

Or those who claimed IDF commandos were rappelling down ropes on a ship's deck with one hand while firing a gun at totally innocent peaceniks with the other?

Those witnesses?

[Jefferson23]

9. Yea, all that going in the right direction..I don't think so considering the reports.

The rest of your post indicates your contempt for Palestinians as witnesses, period.

[shira]

10. Something significant in the right direction is better than nothing.

And I'm not talking about Palestinian witnesses from the Marmara making false accusations.

[Scurrilous]

11. Kick