A further Israeli squeeze on Al Hadidiya Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley

On November 10, 2011, the Israeli Occupation Army (IOA)served residents of Al Hadidiya Bedouin community in the northern parts of the Jordan valley east of Tubas Governorate 16 military warnings, notifying them to halt the construction of their residential and animal facilities under the pretext of lacking building permits due to their location in the area classified as ‘C’, which according to Oslo II Interim agreement of 1995 falls under the full Israeli control. The military warnings gave owners of the threatened facilities a grace period until December 5, 2011 to try to get building permits from the Israeli Civil Administration. The warnings targeted 7 Palestinian families, as detailed in table 1:-  

 

Table (1): Threatened Facilities in Al Hadidiya Bedouin community
No.	Military Order No.	Owner	Type of Threatened  Structure
1.	148813	Abdel Al Rahim Hassan IBsharat	7  barracks ,2 residential tents
2.	148814
3.	148815
4.	148816
5.	148817
6.	148819	Ahmad Abed Allah Bani Odeh	7  barracks ,2 residential tents
7.	148820
8.	148821
9	148822
10	148823
11	148824
12	148825
13	148826	Saleh Yousef IBsharat	3 barracks ,2 residential tents
14	148827
15	148828
16	148829	Mohammad Ali Bani Odeh	4 barracks ,2 residential tents
17	N.A	Ghazi Abdel Rahim Ibsharat	2 barracks ,2 residential tents
18	N.A	Ali Mohammad Ibsharat	2 barracks ,2 residential tents
19	N.A	Lotfi Mohammad Bani Odeh	1 barrack ,1 residential tent
Source: Al Hadidiya Bedouin community – 2011

 

Al Hadidiya, a Palestinian community located6 kilometers to the east of Tubas city, in the northeastern part of Jordan valley. It has a Population of 100 residents and is considered part of Al Buqai’a plain; an area declared by the Israeli Occupation since 1967 as ‘closed military area’. Its is bordered by Al Malih Valley community from the east, the village of Al ‘Aqaba from the north, Al Buqai’a valley area from the south, the illegal Israeli settlements of Beqa’ot and Ro’I from the west and Hemdat settlement from the east as well as the Israeli bypass road number 90. Table (2) gives details of the illegal Israeli settlements surrounding Al Hadidiya Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley

 

Table(2) :settlements surrounding  Al Hadidiya Bedouin community
No.	Israeli Settlement	Date of Establishment	Population 2009	Aea(Dunums)
1	Beqa’ot	1972	197	2353
2	Ro’i	1976	157	1573
3	Hemdat	1980	163	317
Total

Source: –The Geo-informatics Department Database – ARIJ 2011

Following the Israeli occupation of the West bank and the Gaza strip in 1967, Israel targeted the eastern part of the West Bank by announcing vast areas of the Jordan valley as ‘Closed Military Area,’ so as to cease Palestinian urban and economic development. These actions further aimed at displacing Palestinians from their place of residence, so that Israel could further implement its colonial plans in the area and strengthen its presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. This policy constituted an obstacle to the growth of Palestinian communities in the eastern segregation zone, as most of Palestinian communities are located in areas where construction is prohibited unless a building permit is granted by the Israeli Civil Administration.

 

The Israeli demolition policy in the eastern segregation zone comes to confirm the determination of the Israeli government to go forward with the implementation of its settlement plans, which were never set on the basis of security needs, military necessities, and unauthorized construction but with the aim to build Israeli settlements. During the past few years, Israel has stepped up its demolition and evacuation policy in several Palestinian communities in the eastern segregation zone; Al Hadidiya Bedouin community was one among many communities that have been severely targeted and face the threat of demolition and evacuation.

 

On June 21, 2011, the Israeli occupation army bulldozers accompanied by Israeli soldiers raided Al Hadidiya Bedouin community and demolished 14 animal barracks and 11 residential houses. The 25 structures are owned by; Abdulla Hafez Yousif Bani Odeh, Ahmad Abdullah Yousif Bani Odeh, Saleh Yousef Bsharat, Abdel Rahim Hussien Bsharat and ‘Ali Mohamad Bsharat. It is worth to mention that owners of the targeted structures received military demolition orders in June 16, 2011, with three days time deadline to evacuate the area and to demolish their own structures and they filed a petition to the Israeli Civil Administration in order to postpone the demolition but the request had been denied.

 

On June 10, 2011, the Israeli occupation army demolished one residential tent and three animal shelters under the pretext of lacking building permits.

 

Earlier in September, 2009 the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued military orders to residents of Al Hadidiya to demolish their residential structures under the pretext that they live in area classified as ‘closed military area’. Owner of the threatened structures are Abdel Al Rahim Bsharat and Mustafa Odeh Bsharat.

 

The Israeli demolition campaign which targets Palestinian houses and properties in the Jordan Valley area and the rest of the West Bank Governorates flagrantly violates the International humanitarian law, and the International law rules and conventions and United Nations resolutions.

 

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[1]  According to head of Al Hadidiya Bedouin community

[2]  Israel declard in 2004 that it will isolate the eastern part of the west bank through the erection of checkpoints
and crossing points as to limit the access of Palestinians to the area.