Such Lovely Overlords

Palestinian Village Condemned To Live In Darkness


"After the "Seeba" Spanish organization managed to install Solar Panels at a Palestinian village in the West Bank, known as Amenzil, and for the first time its residents managed to have electricity, Israel issued a military injunction ordering the residents to remove the Panels.

The village never had power, but after the panels were installed, the residents started providing their homes, and event tents, with lights, bought TV sets and other electric materials.

In cooperation with the An-Najah University In Nablus, the Spanish nongovernmental organization installed two Solar Panels in the tiny village "Amenzil" located in the southern part of the West Bank, and the villagers managed to replace their gas-run generators that were barely enough for basic functions.

The Solar Panels also enabled the residents to run a water-pump to provide the village with water supplies, especially since it does not have running water.

The Israeli army claims that the small village, located in Area C in the West Bank, was built without construction permits, and issued an order last month forcing the residents to remove the Solar Panels.

Area C is %60 of the occupied West Bank, and all constructions are subject to approval from the so-called "Civil Administration Authority", that runs under the control of the Israeli Army in the occupied West Bank.

Several Israeli NGO’s, and the United Nations, are trying to convince the army to void its decision that came without prior notice.

The Spanish government is also using diplomatic channels in an attempt to prevent the army from removing the Solar Panels. The project was implemented with a total cost of nearly 365.000 Euros, largely funded by Seeba.

Head of the village council, Ali Hreizat, told France Press that "these Solar Panels were they ray of hope to the residents", and added, "We have been living here since 1948, and have nowhere else to go".

Israel shuts down dovish radio station

"JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has ordered the shutdown of a dovish Israeli-Palestinian radio station, officials and the station's operators said on Sunday.

The station and other critics said the move was politically motivated, and part of a broader assault on democracy by conservative forces in the government.

Some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition have pushed forward a series of measures recently that critics say are aimed at stifling opponents."