The Israeli colonists residing in the colony of Karmaeil, located south of the town of Yatta, began the initial phases of constructing a metal fence surrounding the colony with the intention of annexing 1,000 dunums of Palestinian lands into it. The fencing and subsequent annexation was carried out without any prior notification of the Palestinian land owners.

Eye witnesses indicated that a group of colonists and land surveyors arrived at the locations of Umm Al Khair, Janab Al Attiri and Ta’alaba and placed marks on the land surrounding the colony. The land owners removed a number of these marks in an attempt to defend their lands against annexation.

Clear Example of Racism:

According to the land owners, the goal of the new fence is to enlarge the colony from its southern direction. In the year 2002 colonists constructed a number of housing units on Palestinian lands located south of the colony. Land owners protested the construction. Israeli Police came to the construction site and prevented the colonists from continuing their land theft as the housing units were established “without a permit and without the authorization of occupation authorities.” As such, the construction was halted for a period of two years only to restart in 2006. Currently, the housing units are used by Karmeil colonists.

Photo 1: The newly-constructed colonial housing units

 

Photo 2:The Palestinian lands annexed to the colony.

 

Colonists’ attacks and harassment have dramatically increased ever since the completion of the new construction. Such harassment took the form of chasing herders and preventing them from grazing, planting and plowing in areas close to the new colony extension. They even placed a number of electrical poles to provide electricity for the new extension while the Palestinians living next door have no access to any form of electricity.  

Photo 3: Electrical poles providing electricity to the unauthorized colonial housing units

 

Israeli occupation forces are facilitating the work of the colonists as no demolition orders were issued against the new housing units despite the lack of building permit. On the same token, these forces have demolished a number of dwellings and animal shelters for Al Hathalin family which lives only across the fence from the colony in November 2008. Please refer back to Land Research Center (LRC)’s case For the Sake of Karmeil Colonists, Israeli Occupation Forces Demolish Shelters of Arab Al Hathalin

In case the occupation forces and Karmaeil colonists were allowed to continue the encirclement of the colony, an additional 1,000 dunums would have been annexed into the colony. This would endanger the presence of Al Hathalin family as its members depend largely on the annexed lands for herding and grazing purposes. It is worth pointing out that the annexed lands were declared as “Closed Military Area” by the Israeli occupation forces back in 2000.    

Photo 4: The annexation of more lands into Karmaeil colony

 

Already Israeli occupation bulldozers have established a sandy road connecting the western parts of the colony of Karmaeil to the new extension in its southern parts. According to the Palestinian residents of the area, the new road is located right next to the planned fence and will be used by occupation soldiers guarding the colony. However, the road was not established near the marks but far away from it. This inherently means that a large portion of Palestinian lands will be isolated between the fence and the new road. The fate of these lands will definitely be annexation and it will be used to further enlarge the colony.

Photo 5: The new colonial sandy road

 

Land Ownership:

The threatened lands belong to the clans of Abu Hmeid (owning 300 dunums), Qar’eish (owning around 100 dunums), Al Hathalin, Abu Fanar, Abu Ein (owning 60 dunums), among others.

Stop Work Orders:

At the time that Israeli forces confiscated Palestinian lands to facilitate the expansion of the colony of Karmaeil, the same forces have delivered Stop Work orders against Palestinian houses in the community of Khirbet Umm Lasafa located nearby. It also delivered Stop Work order against a land rehabilitation project belonging to Mr. Oudeh Musallam Abu Murreir. The Order instructed Mr. Abu Murreir to return the land to its original state.

Photo 6: The military order given to Mr. Abu Murreir

 

Previously, the occupation forces confiscated a bulldozer owned by Mr. Isam Musallam Abu Murreir as it was working on the same land. Please refer back to LRC’s study in this regard at the following link: Israeli Occupation Authorities Confiscate a Bulldozer and Issue House Demolition Orders in Khirbet Umm Lasafa in Yatta.

Also, the occupation forces handed out another Stop Work order to Mr. Ismaeil Illayan Awad while he was rehabilitating his 1-dunum piece of land in addition to a demolition order against an 8 m2 room located in the land.

 
Photo 7 & Photo 8: The military orders delivered to the Awad family.

 

Additional demolition orders were served to Mr. Ismaeil Al Adara who lives in Khirbet Al Deirat along By-Pass Road 60. The orders called for the demolition of two houses the area of the first is 120 m2 in which 9 people live while the area of the second is 140 m2 in which 12 people live.

 

Photo 9 +10: The demolition orders delivered to Mr. Al Adara

 

It is worth pointing out that Israeli occupation forces have demolished a house belonging to Mr. Al Adara in early 2008. Now, they have come back again to threaten the remaining housing structures. Please referrer back to the recent demolitions at Al Adara by following this link:  The demolition of a Palestinian House in Ad Deirat Village south of Yatta town 

 

Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC