Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – Israel has ordered Palestinian activists and their foreign supporters to leave the Bab Al-Shams tent village they erected in the E1 zone, to the east of occupied Jerusalem. Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, an organizer of the activity and the coordinator of the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements, said that “the Israeli Civil Administration officers told us to immediately evict the premises and they threatened to use force if we did not.” Abu Rahmeh said that the Israeli security forces declared E1 as “a closed military zone.” On Friday, the a group of 200 Palestinian activists and foreign supporters installed dozens of tents in E1 to the east of Jerusalem, where Israel plans to build a permanent settlement for Jewish settlers. The Palestinian activist said that Palestinian lawyers have filed a petition with the Israeli High Court of Justice to prevent the eviction. Abu Rahmeh said that they “will not evacuate and will defend Bab Al-Shams (Gate of the Sun) village at any price.” He added that the move aims at “boosting the Palestinian existence on the lands that Israel wants to seize for isolating Jerusalem from the West Bank.” Israel decided to build hundreds of settler homes in E1 area after the UN General Assembly agreed to upgrade the Palestinians' status to a non-member observer state on Nov. 29. Israel's announcement was slammed by the international community. The Palestinian Authority says any Israeli building in the area will essentially split it into two and prevent the formation of a Palestinian state. E-1 is short for “East 1,” the administrative name given to the stretch of 12,000 dunam northeast of Jerusalem, to the west of Ma'aleh Adumim. For years, Israel has sought to develop E-1 in order to strengthen its hold on Ma'aleh Adumim, which is one of the largest settlements in the Palestinian territories (about 30,000 settlers), and one that all Israeli governments have said they want to keep under any future agreement with the Palestinians. This contiguity will prevent Palestinian construction between East Jerusalem to West Bank city of Ramallah, and will make it difficult to reach agreement between Israel and the Palestinians on the question of permanent borders. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad praised the activists on Friday saying that “the Palestinian steadfastness make the most important part in resisting the occupation and settlement.” Disputes over settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem were the major reason for suspending the direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians since September 2010. The Palestinians insist not to resume any direct or indirect peace talks with Israel before the latter clearly declares a complete cessation of settlement activities in the territories occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem that Palestinians want the capital of their future state. They also demand the release of 123 Palestinians who were arrested before the Oslo Accords in 1993.
