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September 2015
Dear friends,
 
Welcome to our September Newsletter!
 
The Society of St. Yves was founded in 1991 and is working under the patronage of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to help "the poor and the oppressed" according to the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. St. Yves provides gratis legal assistance, counsel and advocacy to all members of the community, irrespective of race, colour, gender or religion. Through national and international lobby and advocacy we are able to bring the light of the poor and marginalized to the attention of communities around the world in an effort to bring pressure for change.

Below is a general update of the headlines of the month in terms of new laws and major incidents in the OPT as well as a brief summary of St. Yves latest updates and achievements throughout the month of September particularly in regards to: the success in obtaining the rather self-evident rights of family reunification permit holders in East Jerusalem and intensifying the message of injustice of building the wall in Cremisan at the international stage. Meanwhile the whole month of September layed under the shadow of the recent tensions at  Al-Aqsa Mosque and resulting protests and clashes throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem.

 Sincerely,
The Society of St. Yves - Catholic Center for Human Rights
Updates from St. Yves
US Governmental and Diplomatic delegation visits Cremisan and Bei Onah
On Thursday 09/17/2015 a US delegation of governmental envoys and diplomats visited the Cremisan valley and Beir Ona, in Beit Jala, to assess the situation and monitor the construction of the annexation wall in the region. The delegation included the special representative for faith-based initiatives to the US Department of State, Mr. Shaun Casey.
St. Yves Succeeds in Obtaining Social and Economic Rights for Familiy Unifications Permit Holders in East jerusalem
The Society of St. Yves - Catholic Center for Human Rights represented by its lawyer Ruwaida Tatur-Irsheid succeeded in obtaining socio – economic rights for a Palestinian mother in East Jerusalem, including opening bank accounts and access to economic and social assistance.
New Report: “The Last Nail in Bethlehem’s Coffin: The Annexation Wall in Cremisan”
 
This new report by The Society of St. Yves - Catholic Center for Human Rights​ is a comprehensive summary and analysis of the Cremisan Valley case.  
The report is now available for download here
Updates from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Clashes and Restrictions Continue at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Recent weeks have seen severe restrictions on Palestinians entering the site and heavily protected groups of Jewish Extremists touring the compound, which led to severe clashes between Israeli Forces and Palestinians. Senior Palestinian officials have expressed concerns that Israel is restricting access to the compound in a bid to establish daily Jewish prayer, despite an agreement forbidding non-Muslim worship at the site.
Read more...
Palestinian Teen Shot Dead in Hebron
A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by an Israeli soldeir at a checkpoint in Hebron, after allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack, as Israel’s army said. However, Palestinian eyewitnesses and foreign activists from a local group called Youth Against Settlements have strongly contradicted that story. Photos released later appear to show the girl without a knife and far from the soldiers before they opened fire, she had been shot 10 times after refusing to reveal the contents of her purse or lift her face veil. 

Read more...
 
Israel starves Christian schools of funds
Christian schools serving Palestinians within present-day Israel have gone on strike to protest against funding cuts imposed on them by the government. While the State of Israel previously funded up to 70% of the budget for these schools, today, the state pays only 29% of their operating costs.Yet the Israeli government has steadily increased its funding for such schools in recent years to the extent that they are almost totally financed by the state’s budget.
Israel tightens crackdown on Palestinian stone-throwers in East Jerusalem
The Security Cabinet has given Israeli police permission to use low-powered, live fire sniper rifles against stone-throwers, and has introduced a four-year minimum sentence for those convicted of throwing stones and fire-bombs. Israeli rights group B'Tselem has stated that the use of live fire against stone-throwers will "exacerbate the cycle of violence with lethal results." The changes are a result of Israel Prime Ministers Netanyahu's declaration of "war against stone throwers".
 
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