Israeli Soldiers Detain Archbishop Hanna

Israeli soldiers kidnapped, Saturday, Archbishop of Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Church of occupied Jerusalem, Theodosius Attallah Hanna, and held him for several hours in the Etzion military and security base, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

Father Hanna was participating in a nonviolent protest against the illegal takeover of Beit Al-Bakara old Church, north of Hebron.

Coordinator of the National Committee against the Wall and Settlements, Hasan Breijiyya, said the soldiers attacked the nonviolent protesters against the illegal Israeli seizure, and the subsequent sale of the Beit al-Baraka hospital, part of the al-Bakara church.

He added that the peaceful protest against this illegal seizure of the Beit al-Baraka comes to expose the illegal Israeli policies, and outrageous violations against holy sites and property.

Scores of residents, Israeli and international peace activists, in addition to a delegation of the Presbyterian Church, participated in the procession, before the soldiers assaulted them.

The senior Christian figure was held for several hours in the Gush Etzion military and security base, before the soldiers eventually released him.

Prior to his release, Archbishop Hanna was handed an order for interrogation by the Israeli security services.

Breijiyya said the takeover of the church building is illegal under international law, and that the alleged sale of the church property is invalid, especially since International Law, and Church Law, states that churches and church property, must be handed back to the local church once it is out of commission.

The soldiers completely surrounded the compound, and blockaded all nearby roads, eventually preventing the protestors from reaching the compound.

A committee for defending Beit al-Baraka was formed to continue organizing public actions meant at foiling the illegal Israeli colonialist takeover.

Pastor Danny Awad of the Presbyterian Church also delivered a speech explaining the role Beit al-Baraka played in helping patients through its free services to the public.

Israeli peace activists of “Combatants For Peace” said that the illegal Israeli policies must be exposed and condemned by all religious groups around the world, and called for more public support to counter the escalating Israeli violations.

The importance of the new settlement is that it paves the way for further settlement expansion, especially since there are more than 500 Dunams (around 125 acres) of Palestinian lands illegally confiscated by Israel in 2005, used to expand kibbutz Magdalen Oz.

Israel is also planning to build a settlers' road bypassing the al-'Arroub refugee camp.

http://www.imemc.org/article/72088

More land theft.

And they don't care who the land actually belongs to:

Settlers Secretly Establishing New Outpost On Church Compound


Fanatic Israeli settlers have taken control of 40 dunams (10 acres) belonging to a Christian church, between the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and the al-'Arroub refugee camp, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The settlers have started establishing a new outpost on the confiscated land referred to as Bet Bracha.

According to a report by Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz, right-wing settler, Aryeh King, has purchased a compound of an abandoned church, and started working on it to create a new outpost.

The report added that King "purchased the buildings from church owners three years ago."

The new settlement is meant to house at least 20 families in the already refurbished eight buildings, including a large commons structure.

Ha'aretz said that the settlers have been conducting massive reconstruction for the last several months.

The settlers also built a fence around the compound, challenging an order by the Civil Administration Office in the Occupied West Bank, as no permit was issued for the fence.

In addition, Ha'aretz stated that King does not need to obtain a permit for refurbishing the buildings, as they were built in the 1940s, close to settlement route #60.

The importance of the new outpost is that it paves the way for further settlement expansion, especially since there are more than 500 dunams (around 125 acres) of Palestinian lands illegally confiscated by Israel in 2005, used to expand kibbutz Migdal Oz.

Israel is also planning to build a settlers' road bypassing the al-'Arroub refugee camp.

In 2008, the Israeli Civil Administration Office in the Occupied West Bank mapped the entire area, but did not have a plan in place for it at the time.

According to Ha'aretz, the church was turned into a hostel twenty years ago, but the project failed, and the buildings were left abandoned.

An American missionary, identified as Thomas Lambie, constructed the buildings after coming to Palestine in 1947. Lambie constructed a tuberculosis hospital on the site, and was buried on the property after his death in 1954.

The new outpost would also facilitate future expansion after becoming part of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, allowing it to extend toward the Hebron hills, particularly since Israel claims to have "state lands" in the area.

It is worth mentioning that Ha'aretz quoted an unnamed source from the Gush Etzion Regional Council stating that the church property does not belong to the settlement, as it is owned by a Swedish church.

Meanwhile, Dror Etkes of the Israeli Peace Now Movement, Shalom Achshav, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the opportunity to declare clearly whether he supports, or opposes, the two-state solution.

Etkes added that the new outpost is located on an important route linking Bethlehem and Hebron. The route has further obstructed efforts to achieve a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Israel uses the claim of "state lands" in the occupied West Bank to justify the construction and expansion of its illegal colonial settlements, isolating entire Palestinian communities, and preventing Palestinians from accessing what is left of their lands and orchards.

However, most of the settlements in the West Bank are built on privately owned Palestinian lands, and the Israeli "state lands" claim violates International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention regarding the transfer of a civilian population of the occupying power into lands it occupies.

http://www.imemc.org/article/71676

Scummy hypocritical so called 'christians' on here avoiding this as well.