• Name of victim: Ayed Mahmud Abdul Hadi Abu Sharar, 38 years old.
• Social status: married.
• Family size: 9 members, including 7 children under the age of 16.
• Profession: unemployed driver

Location: the demolished house is located in zone B in Khirbet Fuqeigis, 8 km to the south west of the town of Dora south of Hebron. It is located at the top of a mound about 500 meters opposite the settlement of Yehuda Negohot. See map of location

 

 Khirbet Fuqeigis and the settlement of Negohot( inside black circle

 

House area: the demolished house is 110 square meter comprising 4 rooms, a kitchen, veranda and toilet. It wasn't inhabited at the time of demolition.

Pretext of demolition:

According to the Israeli occupation authorities the house was demolished under the pretext of un-licensing. The house owner believes that the real reason behind the demolition is the Israeli intension to expand the settlement eastward in the direction of Palestinian proper. The target house is about 500 meters from the eastern fence of the settlement. 

The settlement of Yehuda Negohot at a glance

In 1980, the settlement of Yehuda Negohot, 2.5 km to the east of the village of Beit Awa, was initially established on 40 dunums of land confiscated from the village of Bier As Sika, 3 km to the south of Beit Awa.

As time went on, the settlement expanded east ward and west ward over an area of 1000 dunums confiscated from the neighboring villages of Beit Awa, Bier As Sika and Fuqeigis. The latest expansion took place three months ago when the eastern settlement gate was moved about 70 meters inside the Palestinian land of Khribet Fuqeigis. 

Sequence of events

The victim got married in 1989 and stayed at his father's house. In 1998, he began to build his own house as his family was getting bigger and bigger.  Whilst his house was under construction, an official from the Israeli Planning Authorities arrived at the scene and handed him an order to stop construction under the pretext of un-licensing.  Following that, the house owner headed to the Palestinian Ministry of Local Rule, Hebron office, and to the Palestinian District Coordination Office in Hebron asking for help.  He was promised to get help.

At 8:00 AM, December 8th, 2003, an Israeli military force comprised of almost 50 soldiers and civil administration officers, accompanied by a large hammer, stormed the Khirbet, imposed curfew and started to knock down the target house. They handed the owner no written demolition order or any other sort of documents. The demolition process lasted for one hour after which the army force withdrew from the scene. See Photo 1

Ruins of the house of Mr. Ayed  Abu Sharar in the forefront and the Israeli settlement in the back front

Previous violations:

1.     In 1982, about 100 dunums of land have been expropriated for the extended family of Abu Sharar and annexed to the nearby settlement of Negohot;

2.     The prevention of the victimized family during the past three years from picking olives from about 50 trees adjacent to the settlement.

3.     The continuous opening of fire on part of Israeli settlers and army towards the Palestinian houses in the area.

Living in the garage

Having got his newly established house destroyed, the owner moved from his father's house to live in the basement of his brother's house after almost ten years of living with his family in one room at his father's house.

In an interview with LRC field worker, the owner of the house gave the following account: ''I lost hope to get my own house. I am psychologically and financially destroyed. I have no work for the time being. Even, I haven't yet paid for the builders and workers who built my destroyed house. I lived for ten years in one room in my father's house on the hope that I will eventually live in my own house.  This room served as living room, bed room, kitchen and toilet. After the destruction of my house at the beginning of this month, my eldest brother asked me to come and live in the basement of his house which I did.'' See Photo 2

 The entrance of the basement garage where Mr. Ayed  Abu Sharar lives now with his family

Sick parents:

Since 1990, the father of the victim who is 90 years old has been suffering head cancer. He has been treated at the government hospital of Beit Jala and at hospitals inside Israel. However, no progress has been made. Nowadays, he stays at home all the time and receives only pain killers bought at the expense of his family. The Mother of the victim who is 70 years old is a diabetic. She also suffers high pressure and she is on bills.

 

Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC