Israeli Military warnings in Al Jab’a village – Bethlehem Governorate

April 30, 2007

On April 18, 2007, the Israeli army handed out six new Israeli military warnings to residents of Al Jab'a village southwest of Bethlehem city to stop constructions at their properties under the pretext of being built without permits from the Israeli Civil administration in Beit IL in Ramallah. The houses are located in Area 'C', under the full Israeli Control and are owned by: Hasan Ahmad Abdel Latif Abu Sobhiyeh, Yehya Musa Muhammad Abu Loha, Khaleel Ahmad Musa Masha'la, Ahm,ahmad Mu'ez Ad Din Ibrahim At Tuos, Abdel Rahim Ali Abdel Hameed At Tuos and Mahmoud Darwish At Tous. See Copy of Military Orders

The Israeli military warnings allowed the owners of the threatened residents until May 10, 2006 to pursue any necessary means to secure licenses from the regional committee for building and construction before a decision is made to whether to demolish the houses or keep the houses at their status upon the progress of licenses procedures.

Owners and status of threatened properties

1. Mr. Khaleel Masha'la has been living in his house with his wife and two kids since 2005. His house consists of two floors and occupies a total area of 150 m².

2. The house of resident of Mr.Yehya Musa Abu Loha is still under-construction. He is currently living at his parents' house with his wife and three kids. The finishings on the threatened house are almost complete.

3. Mr.Yehya was ready to move to his new residents by the end of this summer.

4. Mr. Hasan Abu Sobhieh has constructed a barracks near his standing resident at the beginning of 2007 to start a poultry business yo make up for his lost job as a construction worker inside Israel and his modest project came as an alternative mean to support his family.

5. Mr. Ahmad At-Tuos also owns a barracks, which he uses as a cafeteria to earn living after he lost his job as a construction worker inside Israel following the eruption of the second Intifada in September 2000.

6. Mr. Abdel Rahim at Tuos story is no different from the rest. His under-construction barracks is partially funded and the rest was a loan to find an alternative source of income to support his family after he too has lost his job inside Israel.

Al Jab'a village; area (7120 dunums), were classified in accordance to the Oslo accord arrangement to areas 'C' (97%), where the bulk of the agricultural areas and open space are concentrated; while the remaining area of the village, about 3%, were the built-up area is located with limited agricultural areas and open spaces is classified as 'Area 'B'. Areas classified 'A' were the Palestinian Authority has complete control on did not exist in Al Jab'a village, which make the possibility to any chances for expansion of the village’s built-up are virtually limited if Israel were to maintain control of areas 'B' and 'C'.

The procedure measures set by the ICA (Israeli Civil Administration) to acquire building permits is extremely difficult and almost impossible. In a report issued by B’Tselem – The Israeli information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories – listed the documents that each resident when apply to get a building permit must

Prove ownership, although the land registration system is obsolete and defective.
Present proof of having no debts or problems with the israeli Authorities, a requirement which is entirely irrelevant and does not exist in Israel.
Appear before an information board which will not approve any plan in these cases:

a) is not within village boundaries (the boundaries are not shown to applicants, and not even to their lawyers);

b) which is near an existing or proposed highway (plans of which are not given to applicants),

c) which is located on proclaimed government or army lands

Upon such requirements, Palestinian residents will have no other option but to build without a license as their need to expand is growing. Residents of Al-Jab'a village like many others in the West Bank villages are victims to Israeli laws and regulation that aim to constrain them and drive them eventually from their lands.

Glance – Al Jab'a Village

Al Jab'a village is located to the southwest of Bethlehem city and is a home to 906 residents (PCBS – 2006). Its area is 7120 dunums and bounded by the 1948 Armistice Line (Green Line) from the west, the settlements of Gava'ot, Rush Tzurim and Beit 'Ayn from the east, the settlement of Betar Ilit from the north and the city of Surif from the south.

The Israeli Segregation Wall plan will devour about 80 percent of the village's total land area (5527 dunums out of the 7120 dunums comprising the total area of the village) as it will be entrapped within Bethlehem's western segregation zone along with seven other Palestinian communities (Battir, Husan, Nahalin, Wadi Fukin, Al Balluta Hamlet, 'Afaneh Hamlet and Beit Sakaria Hamlet) in addition to 11 Israeli settlements (Gush Etzion settlements Bloc).

Annex 1

Area A constitutes the areas where the Israeli army has pulled out fully and Palestinians have complete autonomy over administrative and security issues; Area A, according to the Oslo II agreement, covered the main cities of the West Bank, except for Hebron. Area B, Palestinians have full control over the civil responsibilities and Israel continues to have overriding responsibility for security; while Area (C):

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