Land Grab in Al Khader

Violation: confiscating 12 m².

Location: Ras Salah Mountain – Al Khader – Bethlehem.

Date: November 20, 2011.

Perpetrators: the Israeli Occupation Army.

Victims: Handal and Salah families.

 

The Israeli Occupation Authorities placed a confiscation order on the billboard in the Civil Administration Office in Ezyon. The order was found by coincidence by one of the town folks who took it to the Municipality. The order issuing date was not known while the supposedly enclosed map was never obtained. The purpose of confiscating the land, according to the order, is placing surveillance cameras around Neve Daniel colony.

 

The target site is located in Ras Salah Mountain area (parcels 5 and 8); most of the land is planted with grapes. It has been an Israeli habit to put smaller numbers on military orders, numbers that can be considered negligible; however, the Israeli Authorities have always taken over larger lands than stated in the orders.

 

  

 

The Municipality started and investigation in the matter and vowed to do all what it can to prevent the confiscation. The fact that there was no map attached to the order left anyone who owns lands in the designated parcels fearing that his or her plot might be targeted.

 

Al Khader is located 5 km to the west of Bethlehem city; it is connected by a road to the main road, Jerusalem – Hebron road which connects it to the surrounding cities. It is administered by a local council and is named after Saint George (Al Khader in Arabic).

 

The village holds within a football stadium, a donation of the Portuguese Government; the work in the stadium started in 2000 through Bethlehem 2000  project, however, the construction stopped for a long time because of the second Intifada (uprising) events considering the location of the stadium near by-pass road (60). It was opened in 2007.

 

Al Khader is 20100 dunums in area including 800 dunums of built-up area.

 

The Israelis conquered 218 dunums of the village in 1948 and are trying to capture the rest of Al Khader fertile lands using the segregation wall. The Israeli authorities confiscated huge parts of Al Khader lands to construct Ezyon colony in 1967(4500 dunums in area inhabited by 461 colonists) and Daniel in 1983 (200 dunums in area).