Slippery Slope

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor announced  Israel’s intention to summon the South African ambassador for clarifications following a decision by South Africa’s Trade and Industry Minister, Rob Davies, to mark products from the occupied territories separately from  Israeli products.

A video shot on March 10th near Otniel and uploaded to Youtube shows the conduct of IDF soldiers towards the civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  The video shows the dispossession of a Palestinian from his lands without a satisfactory legal explanation. (Youtube)

The Knesset has approved in a preliminary reading, by a vote of 51 against nine MKs, an amendment to the Museum Law, which enables institutions operating in the Est Bank to get recognition, and hence the same budget as musiums in Israel, given by the Ministry of Culture and Sport.

(Hebrew)

Two Palestinians were injured yesterday by live ammunition of IDF soldiers in a demonstration against the expansion of a settlement on the land of the Palestinian villages Nia’lin and Dir Kadis in the West Bank. The first, 24 years old, was injured in his hip and shoulder. The other, 22 years old, got wounded in his thigh. Mohammed Amira, a member of the Popular Committee of Nia’lin, was beaten by soldiers and arrested for incitement.

(Hebrew )

The Minister of Science and Technology, Daniel Hershkovitz (Habayit Hayehudi), announced that he allocate 1 million NIS to “boycott grants” for researchers operating behind the Green Line. This, according to him, since the EU and the American government boycott research carried out in the West Bank, Jordan Valley and the Golan.

(Hebrew)

The Civil Administration has confirmed that two neighborhoods of the Efrat settlement, which were constructed in defiance of plans, are located on state-owned lands. The decision is expected to authorize the construction of hundreds of new residential units in the settlement. (Hebrew)

Limor Livnat, Israel’s Minister for Culture, announced that she will act to prevent support of any theater that refuses to perform in Israeli territory, including the Occupied Territories. According to Livnat, “we are a democratic country and artists have the right to express protest, but it is not their right to boycott the citizens of the State of Israel, and we will act to require cultural institutions to perform throughout the entire country.” (Hebrew)

A court granted the State Prosecutor’s request for movement restrictions on Adrian Schwartz, who is about to be released from prison after having served approximately 20 years in prison for having raped a 10-year-old girl. In accordance with the Defense of the Public from Sex Criminals Act the State Prosecutor asked – among other things – to impose house arrest on Schwartz between 21:00 hours and 06:00 for a year. Schwartz’ counsel criticized the decision by the State Prosecutor to make this motion only last week, thus preventing Schwartz from having the opportunity to hold an appropriate hearing of the motion.

Justice Moshe Drori of the Jerusalem District Court scolded the State Prosecutor because electronically overseen house arrest in not possible in some of the settlements in the Occupied Territories. Justice Drori ruled this week that detained prisoner Oron Cohen should be immediately connected to electronic shackling inside his home. He stated that “this is a principle and constitutional problem. As long as the State of Israel maintains Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria [the Occupied Territories] and provides them with water, electricity, telecommunications and other services… it is hard to imagine a more blatant discrimination between the residents of Beitar Illit and the residents of the State of Israel.” The State is filing an appeal with the Supreme Court.

The new cultural hall being constructed in Ariel, which in the Samaria region of the Occupied Territories, will run productions purchased from the theaters of Beer Sheva, Habima, Hakameri, and HaKhan. The Ometz Lesarev movement called upon theater administrators not to perform in Ariel: “it is not what cultured people do, to perform to an audience who, due to their place of residence, cause millions of people to suffer a repressive military administration that denies them human dignity, freedom of movement and basic human rights – before even discussion the denial of their own ability to maintain any kind of cultural and spiritual life of their own.”

Dozens of Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at Border Guard forces in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem. They stated that disputes began after Jewish settlers in the neighborhood tried to enter the mosque near the Silwan Spring with their faces covered.

The Israeli Train Company invested three million NIS in planning a rail line between Rosh Haayin and Nablus, as part of the vision of Minister of Transportation Israel Katz to form a railroad that would cross the Occupied Territories in the regions known as “Judea” and “Samaria”.