The Israeli Occupation Demolishes Two Water Cisterns in Al Harayeq – Hebron City

The Israeli Occupation Authorities demolished two water cisterns in Al Harayeq, southern Hebron city. The owner, Abdul Hameed al Jamal stated that on June 14, 2011, Israeli forces surrounded the site and two jackhammers and a dozer were brought to carry out the demolition.

 

 

 

 

 

He pointed that the cisterns were built in 2010 in order to irrigate 7 dunums of green houses which are considered the only source of income for 5 brothers and their children.

 

 

No.	Victim	Structure	Volume m3	Construction year	Irrigated area	Crop	Picture b.d.	Picture a.d.
1	Abdul Hameed al Jamal	Water cistern	768	2010	7 dunums of green houses	vegetables	6	7
		Water cistern	4200	2010			8	9

 

He stated that he received a stop-work order for three water cisterns on May 20, 2011. He hired an attorney and prepared all the documents needed to apply for a permit in an attempt to stop the demolition. However, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed him a final demolition order on June 7, 2011.

 

  

 

While trying to stop the demolition; Israeli troops attacked the family with gas and sound grenades and prevented them from approaching. He pointed that the dozer buried one of the water pumps.

 

 

 

The huge amounts of water that leaked from the cisterns soaked the nearby fields damaging a lot of the seedlings.

In addition; the Israeli dozers tramped over some of the plants outside the green houses.

 

 

 

After the destruction of the cisterns, Al Jamal was wondering about the fate of his crop, and his family, he said: ‘I planted seasonal tomatoes and now it needs to be watered; this has destroyed the whole produce!’ He said that now he can depend on rain water only; he said that he had placed some barrels in a water stream in order collect water and pump it to his field. Al Harayeq is located to the south of Hebron city; it is 700 m afar from Beit Haggai colony.