Threat of 20,000 Houses Demolition, More Settlement, Taxes Strikes
Year 2012 is going to be decisive for the native al-Quds (Jerusalem) citizen "Fakhri Abu Diab", a settlement-resistance activist whose land in Selwan Town, which lies below the Holy al-Aqsa Mosque, has been confiscated. The Zionist-Occupation authorities are threatening to demolish all 20,000 houses of the native al-Quds citizens, including the house of "Abu Diab" who still has to face more orders of confiscation of lands, which the Occupation authorities have lately been seizing.
Still, "Abu Diab", as well as 300,000 native citizens of al-Quds, will have to pay more taxes as a decision to raise the value of "the Arnona tax" ("Israeli" municipal and business tax) paid by the citizens of al-Quds. The Occupation Municipality of al-Quds has actually been applying the tax policy for years so as to evoke further migration of the citizens of occupied al-Quds.
Non-stop Settlement...
Settlement researcher "Ahmad Sab Laban" says confiscation and settlement-construction schemes have increased in the first days of year 2012, as well as the last days of 2011.
On January 3, 2012, four admissions of expanding "Mount Abu Ghneim Settlement" in the south of al-Quds and "Basgat Zaif Settlement" in the north of al-Quds have been announced. This expansion is to involve the confiscation of 25 land properties, which lie in four basins of the industrial zone of "Wadi el-Jouz District". In fact, the land properties belong to native citizens of al-Quds, who have established many shops and industrial firms there.
Also on January 1, 2012, the Occupation authorities announced a decision to confiscate 13 dunams of "Wadi el-Jouz District" at the heart of occupied al-Quds, including 170 economic firms. "Sab Laban" says, "This scheme aims at ensuring geographical connection with "Maali Adomim Settlement" by establishing a Pentateuchal park on the lands to be confiscated."
Sab Laban adds, "The scheme is to be joined with another scheme to establish a hotel of the Occupation Municipality of al-Quds. The hotel is to include 200 rooms, and it is to be built on the lands of "al-Hesba Road" in "Wadi el-Jouz District". Expanding "al-Hesba Road" currently is part of the scheme to build the required infrastructure."
"Not only does this scheme involve the confiscation of the lands of the native al-Quds citizens, but also it directly and negatively affects the lives of 600 al-Quds citizens," says Emran ar-Rashak, a specialized researcher on "Israeli" violations and member of "the Association of al-Quds Researchers".
Ar-Rashak continues speaking to "al-Intiqad", "600 al-Quds citizens directly benefit from these lands as they are owners or employees of shops and industrial firms that lie in the industrial zone."
Ar-Rashak adds that expanding "al-Hesba Road" requires demolishing these shops and firms; consequently depriving al-Quds citizens and their families of the sources of their income and bringing about more economic losses to the Palestinian economy.
More Taxes...
As 2011 ended, the website of the Occupation Municipality of al-Quds announced its intention to raise "the Arnona tax" in 2012, which the residents of al-Quds pay; yet, only the al-Quds native citizens are to pay the extra 3.1%.
The Director of "The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER)" "Ziyad al-Hamouri" says that this tax burdens the native al-Quds citizens, whereby the Occupation authorities make use of it to control the estates of al-Quds and seize them, eventually moving their property to "Israeli" settlers.
Al-Hamouri continues, "The city authorities are exploiting the deteriorating economic situation of the native al-Quds citizens to pressure them to leave al-Quds, now that the authorities have raised the tax."
According to al-Hamouri, this step aims at increasing the economic pressure on the native al-Quds citizens, particularly the ones with limited incomes, to compel them to sell their estates or move to live outside al-Quds, therefore making them lose their right to live there.
20,000 Houses Demolition
Barely had 2011 finished when the Occupation Municipality of al-Quds declared its intention to quicken the demolition process of more than 20,000 houses in the City of al-Quds. The declaration was made upon the pressure of the operative groups settling there.
The Palestinian Attorney "Ahmad ar-Roweidi" of says there are indicators to the Occupation's intention to actually commence demolishing these houses and estates in 2012. Besides, he points out that monitoring the municipal budget reveals that a special standard has been made regarding demolition in al-Quds. That is, the standard means an actual commencement of this scheme, which primarily aims at diminishing the Palestinian presence in al-Quds and sustaining the Judaizing process.
Now "ar-Roweidi" adds that demolishing these houses means homelessness for 120 Palestinians as this'll deprive them of residence and income and displace them from their lands for the sake of the expansion of the "Israeli" settlements.
"Ar-Roweidi" finally says that the steps aforementioned have been accompanied by the declaration on settlement expansion and quickening in the City of al-Quds this year; it has been declared that 10,000 settlement blocks are to be built, also that 35,000-40,000 others are to have been built by 2020.
Source: Al Intiqad Online Newspaper, Translated by moqawama.org team
