Israeli Occupation Forces Issues Stop Work Orders Against Houses in Al Hijra Village

The residents of the village of Al Hijra (located in the town of Dura in Hebron Governorate) indicated that the so-called Israeli “Civil Administration” raided the village on June 17^th and distributed Stop Work Orders against a number of housing structures. The residents reported that the “Israeli officer said that he will be back later to distribute additional Orders.” The targeted structures included 6 houses in addition to Al Masharqa clan’s hall (a.k.a. Diwan).

  

 

The Israeli Officer told the owners of the targeted houses that they need to get building permits from Beit El. Yet, he neglected to mention that such permits are rarely granted, if ever. It is even mentioned in the Orders that the owner “can file a request to get a building permit from the Planning Department in Beit El, however there are no guarantees that he will get such a permit.” The Orders stated that the owners must come to Beit El on the 9^th of July, 2009 to file such requests for building permits.  The following table lists the names of targeted house owners and their relevant information:

 

No.	Names	Area	Status of the House	No. of Family Members Affected	Picture Number
1	Fadi Sammour Masharqa	250	Under construction	————
2	Jamal Sammour Masharqa	100	Under Construction	7
3	Al Masharqa Diwan	250	Construction Done	———-
4	Ayman Dhaher Masharqa	200	Under Construction	6
5	Mohammad Mahmoud Massharqa	120	Under Construction	6
6	Ghazi Nimer Doudin	120	Under Construction	————
7	Mohammad Naser	—-	—–	—-

 

This was not the first time that Israeli forces have targeted the village of Al Hijra; According to Mr. Yaser Masharqa ‘Israeli occupation forces demolished my house and the house of Mr. Rizq Abu Maqdam in 1983 under the pretext of lack of permit. They have forced me to pay a fine of 120 Jordanian Dinar in fees for the bulldozer that demolished my house. Mr. Abu Maqdam was forced to pay a similar fine.’

 

Al Hijra Lands Targeted by Colonists:

It is worth noting that Israeli occupation forces have closed the main road connecting between the city of Hebron and the town of Adh Dhahiriya. Only Israeli colonists are allowed to use this road which connects between the colony of Beit Haggai and the other colonies located south of the Hebron Governorate. As this road passes through the village of Al Hijra, its lands were targeted by frequent attacks and violation by the colonists including the cutting of trees belonging to the Dudeen clan.

 

Moreover, Israeli occupation forces established a military observation post on Al Hijra lands on the intersection connecting between the town of Dura and Al Fawwar Refugee Camp. Israeli soldiers manning the tower got into the habit of closing off the main entrance to the Camp and Dura which cuts off the flow of Palestinian traffic to the towns of Yatta and Al Rihiyya. In addition, there is a semi-permanent presence of Israeli Police which writes and imposes hefty fines on Palestinian vehicles passing by.  

 

 

 

The Village of Al Hijra:

The village is located southeast of the town of Dura in Hebron Governorate. Its population approaches 400 most of whom are from Al Masharqa clan. The affairs of the village are run by a local committee. Drinking water is provided through pipes from Hebron City while electricity is provided by the Israeli Electrical Company. There is one mosque in the village and no schools. Students are, thus, left with no option except going to schools in Al Fawwar Refugee Camp or in Dura. All entry points to the village from the main by-pass road are closed by Israeli occupation forces and has been since the year 2000.