Yirza Mosque, Demolished for the Third Time in Tubas Governorate

Violation: demolishing a mosque.

Perpetrators: the Israeli Occupation Army.

Victims: Yirza’s residents.

Date: October 11, 2011.

 

For the third time in a row, an Israeli dozer accompanied by Israeli troops broke into Yirza area on October 11, 2011 and besieged the Mosque area in Yirza before demolishing the mosque.The Israelis justifies demolitions taking place in area ‘C’ by lacking official construction permits.It is clear that the Jordan Valley area is suffering from an intensified ‘mass punishment’ measures.

 

  

  

 

Mukhles Masa’eed of Yirza Projects Committee stated to an LRC observer: ‘The 120-m2-mosque was built over two years ago; it was built by donations of the locals who wanted it to be a place for worshipping. It has become a symbol of the people’s struggle; the people are determinant to pray on its rubble.‘

 

He said that the villagers have ‘Tabo’ for the mosque, a document proving the ownership of land and he pointed that ALL of the village houses are under demolition threats after being handed more than 15 demolition orders.

 

Mohammad al Mallah, Tubas Governorate Legal Advisor, commented on the incident, he said: ‘the demolition of the mosque is a war crime, it is a violation of the International Humanitarian Law calling for the freedom of worshipping and the protection of the religious sites. This occupation has not spared humans, trees, or even rocks.The Israelis demolished hundreds of houses in the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank. It is obvious that the Israeli Occupation shows no respect to religions nor to the humanitarian laws. ‘

 

It must be pointed that Yirza has been used as a shooting ground for the Israeli Army training; people are sometimes forced to flee to nearby caves to avoid being hit by random bullets.

 

Yirza is located 10 km away from Tubas Governorate, in Al Buqe’a Plain. 12 families (100 people) reside in the area, these are the remains of its original population, counting hundreds, and used to plant the 25000 dunums area including 283 dunums classified as “country root”.

 

More than 75% of Yirza lands are registered property of Palestinian families according to Jordanian laws, however, the Israeli measures of land confiscations and house demolitions forced most of its population to immigrate.