Wednesday, 23 August 2023 6:38 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 23 August 2023 6:44 PM ]
The file photo shows Israeli forces demolishing a Palestinian-owned home in the occupied territories. (Photo by the Palestinian Information Center)
Israeli authorities displace a Palestinian family after forcing it to demolish their home in the Negev desert under the pretext of lacking a construction permit, amid ongoing land grab policies by the Tel Aviv regime.
The Palestinian Information Center, citing local sources, reported that Israeli troops raided the Rahat City, surrounding a house owned by Abu Ghanem on Wednesday.
The sources said that Israeli forces stormed the area where the house was located and gave the family 10 minutes to evacuate and start demolishing it.
Witnesses and local residents said the family of Abu Ghanem had to knock down its home, which had been built 17 years ago.
Abu Ghanem had no choice but to do so in order to avoid paying exorbitant fees to the municipality in the event that its crews carried out the demolition on their own.
Had he not demolished the house himself, the sources said, the Israeli municipality would have charged him to have the building pulled down.
The residents across the Negev region live in a constant state of fear due to the fact that Israeli troops may raid and raze their homes at any moment after they build them again.
OCHA: Punitive demolition of Palestinian homes collective punishment, illegal under intl. law
Rights groups accuse Tel Aviv of pursuing a policy of transferring the indigenous Palestinian population from the Negev region to other areas in a bid to make room for the expansion of illegal settlements.
Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds. The regime argues that the homes were built without a permit.
However, the Israeli regime rarely, if ever, approves such permits for Palestinians. The Israeli forces also sometimes order Palestinian owners to demolish their own homes or pay the costs of the demolition.
Israel expands demolition of Palestinian homes in West Bank: Report
The demolition is part of the new cabinet’s broader battle for control of east al-Quds.
The demolition of Palestinian homes across the occupied territories has increased since an extreme far-right administration led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office.
Palestinians regard ministers of the new cabinet, especially Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as racist and fascist for publicly advocating the expulsion of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes, supporting Israeli extremist groups repeatedly attacking Palestinians, and stirring incitement to racism against Arabs and non-Jews.
More than 700,000 Israelis live in about 280 settlements built across the occupied West Bank since Tel Aviv’s occupation of the territory in 1967.
The international community regards the settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions given that they have been constructed on occupied land.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
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Syrian swimmer withdraws from world championships to to protest Israeli entrant
Sunday, 20 August 2023 6:43 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 20 August 2023 8:50 AM ]
Syrian swimmer Hammam Hashim Mualla (Photo via social media)
In a show of solidarity with Palestinians and rejection of normalization with the Tel Aviv regime, Syrian swimmer Hammam Hashim Mualla has pulled out of the 2023 World Aquatics Masters Championships in Japan to avoid facing an Israeli opponent.
Mualla was set to participate in the men’s 200-meter butterfly contests of the international tournament in Fukuoka city, which sits on the northern shore of Japan’s Kyushu Island.
However, he withdrew from the competitions as soon as he found out he was scheduled to compete in the event with an Israeli swimmer taking part in the competition.
In recent years, an increasing number of athletes from Arab and Muslim countries have rejected facing Israeli opponents in international competitions to protest the illegitimacy of the regime and its persisting atrocities against Palestinian people.
They view the participation of Israeli athletes in sports events as a scheme to help the Tel Aviv regime gradually normalize its relations with Muslim and Arab nations despite its brutal occupation of Palestine and its relentless crimes against Palestinians.
Lebanese runner refuses to compete against Israeli rival
Last May, Kuwaiti fencer Abdulaziz Alshatti withdrew from the 2023 Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) Senior World Cup contests in Turkey to avoid taking on an Israeli contestant.
“I withdrew from the tournament because of the presence of a representative from the Zionist entity in the same group,” Alshatti wrote in an Arabic-language post published on his Instagram page at the time.
Back in September last year, Kuwaiti karate fighter Mohammad al-Otaibi withdrew from the 2022 Karate 1-Premier League contests in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku not to face an Israeli contestant.
Otaibi was set to participate in the male kumite 60-kilogram division of the international tournament. He, however, pulled out of the competitions as soon as he found out he was scheduled to take on Israeli competitor Ronen Gehtbarg.
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BIG BROTHER in the 21. Century 