Israeli Occupation Forces threaten to erase Shu’ub Al Bottum off the map south of the city of Yatta

Violation: Stop Work orders issued against 16 structures in Shu’ub Al Bottum. 

Violators: Israeli occupation forces and the so-called “Civil Administration”

Date: April 13^th, 2010.

Type of Structures: Tents and animal pens.

 

On the 13^th of April, 2010, Israeli occupation forces delivered Stop Work Orders to the residents of the hamlet of Shu’ub Al Bottum located south east of the town of Yatta in Hebron Governorate. Mr. Yousef Al Najjar, a resident of the hamlet, indicated that Israeli forces raided the northern section of the hamlet and delivered the orders to the owners of the threatened structures. They have also, he continued, raided the southern section and took pictures of the structures there. They, however, did not deliver any such orders there.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Al Najjar indicated that a week before the Orders were delivered, a group of colonists accompanied by Israeli occupation soldiers raided the hamlet. They walked between the tents and took pictures of the structures. When they were asked about the reason behind their presence there, they said that they were “interested” in everything that is new in the hamlet !!!.

 

The threatened structures consisted of animal pens, tents that are used as human shelters in addition to mobile bathroom units donated by an international organization. Also, the Orders targeted the only electricity generator in the hamlet.

 

 

Name	No. of Structures	Family Members	Type	Photo
Azzat Khader Jabareen	3	17	2 tents + 1 animal pen	2  &  3
Musa Al Hajj Hasan	2	16	1 tent + 1 animal pen	4
Yousef Isma’eil Al Najjar	2	12	1 tent under construction + 1 animal pen.	5  &  6
Izzat Jibreen Al Najjar	4	13	2 tents + 2 animal pens.	7
Mahmoud Musa Al Najjar	3	16	1 tent + animal pen + Areisha	8  &  9
Ishaq Al Jabareen	2	8	1 tent + 1 tent under construction	10
TOTAL	16	82

The orders indicated that the affected people must show up for a court hearing on the 29^th of April, 2010 to look into the issue of demolishing the structures as to return the situation to its prior condition –  as stated in the Orders. 

 

In case Israeli forces carryout its demolition threat of the tents and animal pens, such action would lead to leaving more than 100 Palestinians homeless. It will also be a serious blow to the live stocks owned by the hamlet residents while leaving hundreds of dunums an easy prey for the Israeli colonists living in nearby colonies and outposts.

 

Palestinians of the hamlet informed the Land Research Center (LRC)’s that colonists harass the resident almost on daily basis. Such harassment takes the form of kicking the herders and farmers out of their lands as well as preventing them from reaching it in the first place. Two of the residents (namely Khaled Musa Al Najjar and Yousef Ismaeil) were even shot by live ammunition by the colonists about 8 years ago.

 

The hamlet is located 15 kilometers southwest of the city of Yatta. About 100 Palestinians live there from the clans of Al Jabareen and Al Najjar. They have been living there even before the Israeli occupation of 1967. Residents work the land there as they plant cereals, olives and almonds while raising goats and sheep. There are no signs of modern life in the hamlet. The residents depend on rainwater harvesting for their drinking needs as well as their animals’. They have only one electrical generator that provides them electricity for few hours on daily basis. It is mostly not used due to the lack of fuel.