A New Series of Israeli Demolition Orders in the Northern Parts of the West Bank

July 1, 2010

The Israeli government has widened its long-term policy of forced displacement of the Palestinian population throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, mainly by targeting their houses and properties under Illegal pretexts.

On June 21, 2010, the Israeli Occupation Forces handed over local Palestinian residents of Al Hadidieyh and Khirbet Humsa east of Tubas city, in the northern parts of the Jordan Valley, demolition orders for their residential tin shacks under the pretext of lacking proper building authorizations from the “Israeli Civil Administration”. Table 1

Table 1: The Threatened structures in Al- Hadidieyh & Khirbet Humsa
No.	Owner	Location	Structure Description
1	Abdel- Rahim Hussein Bisharat	Al- Hadidieyh	Residential Barracks
2	Mohammad ‘Ali Bani ‘Odeh	Al- Hadidieyh	Residential Barracks
3	‘Abdel-Mahdi Riyyad Salamin	Al- Hadidieyh	Residential Barracks
4	Harb Suleiman Abu Al-Qbash	Khirbet Humsa	Residential Barracks
5	Isma’il Freikh Abu Al-Qbash	Khirbet Humsa	Residential Barracks
6	Ibrahim Issa Abu-Al-Qbash	Khirbet Humsa	Residential Barracks

Al- Hadidieyh & Khirbet Humsa

Khirbet Humsa and Al-Hadidieyh communities are located in Al Buqui’a plain east of Tubas Governorate, in the northern parts of the Jordan Valley. The areas where the two Palestinian communities are located were declared ‘closed military areas’ right after the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territory in 1967. Since that time, the Israeli occupation Army adopted an organized systematic policy to restrict access to the entire Jordan valley area, by which, the Israeli Army could control the development of land and the built-up areas there.

Today, Al-Hadidieyh community has a population of around 230 residents (PCBS 2010) and is located about 33 kilometers east of Tubas city. It is bordered by Pellas Illegal Israeli settlement from the north, Al-Jiftlik village from the south, the Illegal Israeli settlements of Beqa’ot and Ro’i from the west and Hemdat Illegal settlement from the east as well as the Israeli bypass road# 90. See map 1:

Map 1: Khirbet Humsa & Al-Hadidieyh Communities in Tubas

During the year 2009, Al-Hadidieyh community was targeted with 17 demolition and evacuation orders, where it is entirely threatened with eviction and displacement as all of Al-Hadidieyh families had received such military orders from the Israeli Occupation Forces.

The residents of the nearby community of Kirbet Humsa (populated by about 100 residents), have been subjected to similar circumstances where they have received more than 20 demolition and evacuation orders in the year 2009 from the Israeli Occupation Forces under the pretext of lacking building permits.

It is worth mentioning that Khirbet Humsa and Al-Hadidieyh communities are both surrounded by the Illegal Israeli settlements of Beqa’ot, Ro’i and Hemdat, in addition to many Israeli military bases, which adds to the Palestinian residents anguish and misfortune, because of the Israeli Army and the settlers’ daily and regular harassments. See Table 2

Table 2: The Illegal Israeli Settlements located in the vicinity of Al Hadidieyh & Khirbet Humsa In Tubas Governorate
Colony Name	Location	Date Establishment	Population	Area-Dunums
Mehola	Tubas	1968	362	1759
Beqa’ot	Tubas	1972	156	2284
Ro’i	Tubas	1976	117	1573
Shadmot Mehola	Tubas	1978	516	1291
Hemdat	Tubas	1980	140	317
Rotem (Nahal)	Tubas	1984	18	51
Masskeyyott	Tubas	1987	NA	47
TOTAL	*****	*****	1309	7322
Source : ARIJ Database 2010

Six Demolition Orders in Jinsafut east of Qalqilya

On June 22, 2010, the Israeli Occupation Forces handed over six local residents from Jinsafut village military orders notifying them that their houses will be demolished under the pretext of lacking building permits. Table 3

Table3: Details of the threatened houses in Jinsafut village east of Qalqilya
No.	Owner	Description of the threatened Structure
1	Yahiya Nabhan	House
2	Abdel Fattah Rashid Bashir	Under construction house
3	Hammad Saleh ‘Id	Under construction house
4	Basil ‘Ayed Sabra	Timber Warehouse
5	Mohammad ‘Ayed Sabra	Barracks
6	‘Atiyya Rayyan	Stone Factory
Source: Jinsafut Village Council

Map 2: the location of the threatened houses in Jinsafut village in Qalqilya

Jinsafut……… Location & Population

Jinsafut is a small village located east of the city of Qalqilya and 13.3 km from the Green Line (Armistice Line of 1949). The 2901 residents (PCBS 2010) of Jinsafut village live on 239 dunums (2.6% only from the total village lands -9335 dunums) which constitutes the Palestinian built-up area of Jinsafut village. The majority of Jinsafut residents work in agriculture, which constitutes the main source of income in the village.

Today, the built-up area of Jinsafut is entrapped by the Israeli segregation Wall that rounds the Israeli Kidumim settlements cluster from three sides; east, west and south. The northern part of the village is restricted by an Israeli controlled bypass road and parts of the segregation wall that runs along the village eastern side.

The Israeli Apartheid Segregation Wall from its east, west, surrounds Jinsafut village and south; in addition to the Illegal Israeli settlements of Immanuel, Neve Oranim and Karni Shomron, which had been built on 749 dunums (8% of the village lands (9335 dunums). See table 4

Table 4 : The Illegal Israeli Settlements built on Jinsafut village Lands
Colony Name	Area- Dunums	Date Est.	Population
Neve Oranim	485	1991	NA
Immanuel	22	1981	3199
Karni Shomron	242	1978	6733
Total	749	*****	9932
Source : The Geographical Information System (GIS Unit)- ARIJ 2010

Classification of Jinsafut Village Lands

According to the Oslo II Interim agreement of 1995, which was signed between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, Jinsafut village was classified into areas A, B and C. In Area A, the Palestinian National Authority has complete autonomy over administrative and security issues, where in area B, the Palestinians have civil responsibilities and the Israeli Army continues to have security control, while in Area C, Israel has full control over the security and administrative issues. Table 5 clarifies the classification of Jinsafut lands according to Oslo Interim Agreement of 1995:-

Table 5: Classification of Jinsafut Lands According to Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995
%from the total Town lands	Area-Dunums	Land Classification
0	0	Area A
4	377	Area B
96	8,958	Area C
100	9,335	Total
Source: The Geographical Information System (GIS Unit)- ARIJ 2010

Jinsafut & the Apartheid Wall

Jinsafut is one of the Palestinian villages that was severely affected by the Israeli occupation and now a 3.1 km long Segregation Wall, which stands to isolate some 86% (7985 dunums) of its lands. The lands that the village of Jinsafut lost and will lose once the segregation wall is completed will deprive the village and the Palestinians from stretches of the most fertile agriculture lands of Jinsafut village and the occupied Palestinian territory. Accordingly, the owners of these lands will not be able to reach and cultivate their lands unless they hold a special permits issued from the “Israeli Civil Administration” were the local resident and farmers have a hard time obtaining permits due to the numerous Israeli complex of requests.

To Conclude

On the ground, Israel is steadily moving toward forcibly displacing the Palestinian population all over the Occupied Territory mainly by demolishing their houses and properties under false Illegal pretext disregarding the international law and human rights conventions in this regard.

Under the International Law Rules and Conventions, Israel, as an occupying power, and is prohibited from destroying or seizing the Palestinian lands and properties, unless such acts are justified by security needs and as long as they are carried out on temporary bases.

Article 53 of the Convention provides that: Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

Article 147 of the same Convention indicated that: Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, is a grave breach of the Convention.

Art. 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 also provide: In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy’s property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war;