Palestinian/Israeli update 02/06/2021..ICC will investigate Israel war crimes in occupied Palestine

ICC will investigate Israel war crimes in occupied Palestine

ICC claims jurisdiction in Palestinian territories

‘Pure anti-semitism’: Israel’s Netanyahu slams ICC decision and says will fight it

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the International Criminal Court of anti-Semitism on Saturday, one day after the court determined it holds territorial jurisdiction over the territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Mideast war.

With this ruling, the court clears the way to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.

“When the ICC investigates Israel for fake war crimes, this is pure anti-Semitism,” said Netanyahu, adding, “The court established to prevent atrocities like the Nazi Holocaust against the Jewish people is now targeting the one state of the Jewish people.”

The Israeli PM also accused the ICC of having double standards, as it ‘refuses to investigate brutal dictatorships like Iran and Syria, who commit horrific atrocities almost daily.’

According to Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, the inquiry would search for crimes also committed by Palestinian militants, focusing on Hamas’s actions, including the unsystematic firing of rockets towards Israel in 2014.

War Criminals, Beware

Israel should “immediately halt all settlement activity” in Palestine – Sec-Gen Guterres

Villagers live in caves after Israel bans them from building homes

Palestinian families have been using caves as homes In the village of Masafer Yatta in the occupied West Bank after the Israeli army banned them from building houses in the area, as filmed on Friday.

The residents say they are staying in their caves despite the lack of basic necessities to protect their land from the Israeli settlement activity.

“The Jewish [people] want to have these caves by evacuating the area under the pretext that it is a closed military zone. They talked to me, my neighbours and cousins a thousand times about this. They asked us to leave, threatened us and even offered us alternative houses and money,” said Numan Muhammad bin Jabareen who lives with his family of 16 people in a cave of no more than 30 square meters.

“I have inherited this land from my forefathers. During the mass evacuation in 1999, we literally lived in a tent and over the dirt, but we stood firm and will continue to do. I urge my children to tell their children that they shall never leave this land no matter what happens and whatever they pay,” he added.

The region’s population makes a living by raising sheep and birds and planting grains and trees, according to the footage on Friday.

“Life is a little difficult here; it is not that we love living in caves but our land is occupied by the Jews and they prevent us from building houses like the rest of Palestinian villages here. They destroyed every house we build, For example, I built a brick house out there 10 years ago but they destroyed it in 2017. But I will never compromise. one day an Israeli man came here to make a settlement since this area is a military zone, and offered us an alternative land,” said Isa Abu Aram, another person living in a cave.

According to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, Palestinian cave-dwellers have been living there at least since the 1830s, using some caves as shelter for sheep and goats and others as homes. Most have openings carved from stone and are divided into a living space, a storage area and a kitchen.

Numan Muhammad bin Jabareen, Cave owner (Arabic): “Up to 16 people are living in this cave; there are other caves which host 9, 10, 14, 30 or 25 people.”

Numan Muhammad bin Jabareen, Cave owner (Arabic): “The Jewish [people] want to have these caves by evacuating the area under the pretext that it is a closed military zone. They talked to me, my neighbours and cousins a thousand times about this; they asked us to leave, threatened us and even offered us alternative houses and money. They might give me one million shekels ($304,000) to leave my land. But I have inherited this land from my forefathers. During the mass evacuation in 1999, we literally lived in a tent, but we stood firm and will continue to do so. I urge my children to tell their children that they shall never leave this land no matter what happens and whatever they pay. It’s either martyrdom or victory, this is our land and we are not leaving.”

Numan Muhammad bin Jabareen, Cave owner (Arabic): “We do not have regular electricity but rather solar energy through aid. Even when there is no aid, we will revert to the customs of our fathers and grandfathers using goat and sheep skin. Between 1985 and 2000, nobody had heard anything about us.”

Issa Abu Aram, owner of a cave (Arabic): “Life is a little difficult here; it is not that we love living in caves but our land is occupied by the Jews and they prevent us from building houses like the rest of Palestinian villages here. They destroyed every house we built. For example, I built a brick house out there 10 years ago but they destroyed it in 2017. But I will never compromise. One day an Israeli man came here to make a settlement since this area is a military zone, and offered us an alternative land.”

Basil Azra, Activist in the village of Yatta (Arabic): “Honestly speaking, all people of Masafer Yatta are living inside caves, some built tinplate houses but they are only temporary since they are at risk of being demolished by the occupation forces, which demolish all houses. That’s why the people are living in caves.”

Basil Azra, Activist in the village of Yatta (Arabic): “The Occupation as well as Israeli settlers plan is to evacuate the Palestinian people from their villages to the city of Yatta and Hebron.”