The Israeli army installed, on Monday, a new surveillance room at the main entrance of the Ibrahimi Mosque, in the center of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Head of the Islamic Waqf Department in Hebron, Ibrahim Abu Sneina, said Israel continues to impose further restrictions on the Muslim worshipers and visitors, adding that the new room and equipment are another harassment. Abu Sneina added that Israel continues its plans to turn the Mosque into a synagogue, to be only used by Jewish worshipers, in direct violation of international agreements, and the Freedom of Worship. He said his department filed an appeal to the Israeli side demanding the removal of this room, and the removal of all restrictions imposed by the army leading to limiting, and in many cases, preventing the entry of Muslim worshipers into the mosque. It is worth mentioning that Israel frequently prevents Muslim worshipers from entering the mosque, and repeatedly prevents the sheiks from using speakers t...

Following Israeli violence at Al-Aqsa mosque on Sunday and the heritage site provocation, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are calling for action to be stepped up. The PA cabinet is convening its next meeting in Hebron as a protest and Jordan has issued a stern denunciation of the move as concern mounts. Hamas and Islamic Jihad urged an escalation of protests in the West Bank on Sunday, against what they called an Israeli assault on Palestinian religious sites. Islamic Jihad staged a mass rally in Gaza denouncing renewed violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem and Israel’s recent decision to lay claim to two holy sites in Bethlehem and Hebron. Islamic Jihad leader Muhammad Al-Hindi told the assembled crowd that Israel "only understands the language of force. This settlement, called Israel, cannot intimidate our people and our resistance through aggression. more

US slams heritage provocation but will they actually do anything about it and the allied ethnic cleansing being brought about through settlement construction and demolition of Palestinian homes? ...the State Department on Wednesday sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for adding two shrines in the West Bank to Israel's list of national heritage sites. The move, announced Sunday, sparked Palestinian protests and has drawn criticism from other quarters, including the United Nations. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the administration viewed the move as provocative and unhelpful to the goal of getting the two sides back to the table. Toner said US displeasure with the designations of the Cave of the Patriarchs in the flash point town of Hebron and the traditional tomb of the biblical matriarch Rachel in Bethlehem had been conveyed to senior Israeli officials by American diplomats. more

The general assembly meets tomorrow to discuss the Goldstone Report and the responses from the Israeli and Palestinian side. Expect the UN to end up postponing any decision - give the parties more time to come up with better reports, as if both sides were somehow equally guilty of war crimes! UNITED NATIONS -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised concern at a meeting Wednesday with Israel's defense chief that Israel's recent designation of holy sites in the West Bank as heritage sites and demolitions in East Jerusalem could hinder a resumption of stalled peace talks with the Palestinians, a U.N. spokesman said. The U.N. chief discussed prospects for reviving peace negotiations and broader Mideast issues with defense chief Ehud Barak for about an hour, including a 15-minute tete-a-tete, officials said. more

Gaza – Ma'an – De facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called on Palestinians in the West Bank to launch an uprising against Israeli forces on Tuesday, in response to the inclusion of the Ibrahimi Mosque and Rachel's Tomb on a list of Israeli heritage sites. more

Israeli police allowed Jewish extremists to enter the grounds of the mosque and then shielded them from attack by Palestinians defending the mosque. After the eviction of the settlers by Muslim worshipers, the occupation forces turned on the crowds. Arab League Denounces the Israeli Aggression, Seeks to Form an International Investigation Committee Arab League denounced on Sunday the brutal aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli settlers, calling on the International Security Council and UN Secretary-General to immediately intervene to stop the dangerous violation committed by the Israeli occupation forces. A statement by Palestine and the Occupied Arab lands Section at the Arab League stressed that the Israeli security forces facilitated the arrival of many of the Zionist extremists to Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, particularly Bab of al-Maghariba. more The attack on al-Aqsa follows an attack last week on the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron: Ma’an – At least 140 Israeli settlers, protect...