“Israel” earmarks financial allocations for building hotels in OJ
NAZARETH, (PIC)– The Israeli ministry of tourism announced its intention to allocate huge financial sums of money for the sake of constructing new hotels in occupied Jerusalem.
Stas Misezhnikov, the Israeli minister of tourism, said on Wednesday while participating in the international tourism conference that he was planning to restructure his ministry.
He said that among his plans was earmarking sums of money for the sake of building those hotels and for developing tourism sites.
The minister said that his ministry reached an agreement with the finance ministry by which the latter would grant incentives for investors in the tourism sector.
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Palestinian youth killed in hit and run accident
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– An Israeli speeding car deliberately ran over a Palestinian young man in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday killing him on the spot.
Local sources said that the man in his thirties was intentionally hit by the car and his identity was not known yet.
Jerusalemites are often targeted by fanatic Jewish settlers in the holy city, the latest being Husam Al-Ruweidi, 24, who was killed by those settlers using knives while on his way to work.
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IOA planning to expropriate 662 Palestinian dunums in OJ
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) is planning to confiscate 662 dunums of Palestinian land between Tur and Aissawayia villages in occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli Ir Amim organization, specialized in monitoring the situation in East Jerusalem, said on Wednesday that the planning and construction committee of Jerusalem municipality had decided to allocate this area for establishing parks and tourism buildings.
It said that the project is expected to be endorsed by Monday, noting that the area would be allocated for construction of the so-called “National Park” that would be added to the series of parks surrounding the Old City’s gates.
Ir Amim is an Israeli non-profit organization founded in 2004 that focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem. It seeks to ensure the “dignity and welfare of all its residents and that safeguards their holy places, as well as their historical and cultural heritages.”
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Artifial Tourism off the Gaza Strip
by Eslam al-Rihani, Al Manar
Israel is considering building an artificial island with sea and air ports off blockaded Gaza to be controlled by the Palestinian Authority, an Israeli television channel reported Tuesday.
The project, under development for three months by Transport Minister Yaakov Katz proposes building a man-made island four kilometers (2.5 miles) long and two kilometers (1.2 miles) wide, Israel’s Channel 2 television reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backs the plan for the island, which would also contain a tourist area, a marina, hotels and a desalination plant for sea water, the report said. It would be linked to Gaza by a four-kilometer bridge.
It is estimated the project will cost $5-$10 billion (3.5-7 billion Euros) and take six to 10 years to complete, the channel reported.
Yisrael Katz – Israeli Transport Minister – told Army Radio on Wednesday he had pitched the project to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told him to put together a plan, which “has been under examination for many months” by experts.
“The Israeli military would continue the naval blockade, but in a more localized way,” he said.
A spokesman for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority described the idea as “pure fantasy” and an attempt by Israel “to divert attention from the real problems of Gaza resulting from the Israeli siege.”
A Hamas spokesman called it “a Zionist effort to … internationalize” the blockade.
“I am at the stage where the prime minister has to give the green light,” Katz said. “This has not happened yet … I am certain the Europeans and the Americans and many private elements will be willing to be part of this.”
“We have built models and there are many entrepreneurs who are interested and prepared to invest billions and make money,” Katz added in the interview, without giving further details.
Asked when the island proposal would be presented to Netanyahu’s cabinet, Katz was non-committal, saying: “Soon, I hope.”
The project’s backers in the government would like to see the island managed by Palestinian Authority of Mahmud Abbas — freezing out Islamist movement Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip since it won the legislative election of 2006…
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IOF troops arrest five Palestinians
WEST BANK, (PIC)– Israeli occupation forces (IOF) rounded up five Palestinians in various West Bank areas at dawn Wednesday after breaking into many homes, Israeli military sources said.
They said that the “suspects” would be interrogated by security agencies but did not disclose their identities or where they were detained.
Locals in Azun village, Qalqilia, said that the IOF soldiers took away a 16-year-old boy, while locals in Bethlehem reported that two citizens were rounded up in Husan village and Doheisha refugee camp.
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Removed third intifada page regains 27,000 fans in first day
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)– The organizers of the third Palestinian intifada page on Facebook have gained over 27,000 fans in one day after the Facebook administration removed the page in response to official calls in Israel.
The page now includes opening statements condemning the Facebook administration and founder Mark Zuckerberg after they responded to pressure from Israel to close the page calling the Palestinians to take to the streets for a third intifada against Israel on May 15, which marks the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.
Facebook said it removed the page, which picked up a fan base of 350,000 in less than a month, claiming that it ”incites and contains calls for the use of violence against Jews.”
Israeli minister Yuli Eidelstein wrote the site’s founder Mark Zuckerberg calling for the page’s removal.
According to the Israeli daily Yediot Ahranot, the fear of a popular Palestinian revolution similar to what happened in the past, as popular uprisings continue in several Arab countries, has increased after the emergence of the page.
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