The Confiscation of Umm Salamona, Wad Rahhal and Wadi Al Nis Lands – Bethlehem Governorate

Violation: “Placing Hands” on 127 dunums of agricultural lands.

Locations: Umm Salamona, Wad Rahal and Wadi Al Nis in the Governorate of Bethlehem.

Date: The end of December, 2011.

 

The village of Wadi Al Nis is located about 10 kilometers south of the city of Bethlehem. It has a secondary school, a charitable society and two stone factories in which a quarter of the village’s man power works. The remaining workforce works inside of Israel. The village is surrounded by the colony of Efrat from the west as well as by the Israeli Racist Isolation Wall. The presence of the colony and the Wall coupled with numerous flying checkpoints leads to the inability of the residents of the village to move around and about freely.

 

As for the village of Wad Rahhal, it is located 5.7 kilometers south of Bethlehem. The village of Janata borders it from the east, al Khader from the north, Wadi Al Nis in the west and by the village of Jourat Al Shama’a from the south. In terms of Umm Salamona, it is located at 894 meters above sea level with an average rainfall of 643 mlm.

 

In the end of December 2011, a “Placing Hands” order was found by some of the herders of the said villages. In the village of Umm Salamona, the affected lands belong to 7 families (Ahmad Mohammad Issa, Musa Mohammad Issa Taqatqa, Othman Mohammad Issa Taqatqa, Khalil Muhammad Issa Taqatqa, Ali Khader Issa Taqatqa, Issa Khader Issa Taqatqa and Mahmoud Mohammad Issa Taqata). The area of the targeted lands is about 73 dunums. The owners of the lands objected to the Orders through hiring the lawyer Ghayyath Naser. The pretext used for placing the hands is due to its close proximity of the said lands to the Racist Wall.

 

  

 

As for the village of Wadi Rahhal, the threatened lands are owned by 6 families in the village (the sons of Mr. Abdullah Abdel Rahman Al Hajj). The area of the Al Hajj lands is 14 dunums. An additional 9 dunums are threatened and is owned by the sons of Mr. Suleiman Abdel Rahman Al Hajj. After the farmers found the Order laying around beneath a rock in their lands. An objection to the order was filed.

 

  

 

Finally, the area threatened lands of Wadi Al Nis is around 40 dunums owned by 6 families in the village including the sons of Mr. Mohammad Musa Khalili Hammad. Again, the families hired Mr. Ghayyath Nasser to represent them in front of the Israeli legal apparatuses.

 

 

Finally, it has to be pointed out that most of the threatened lands are planted with olive trees.