Demolishing 3 Residences in Steih - Jericho Governorate

Violation: demolishing three residences inhabited by 27 people.

Location: Ad Dyuk – west of Jericho

Perpetrators: the Israeli Occupation Army.

Victims: 3 Palestinian families.

Date: January 6, 2012.

Details:

As part of the Israeli war against Palestinian rights; a war aimed at displacing Palestinians and deprive them from their basic rights, the Israeli Occupation Army demolished 3 Palestinian residences in Jericho. On January 6, 2012, a number of Israeli Army vehicles and soldiers accompanied by two dozers broke into Steih area in Ad Dyuk and commenced the demolitions.

The Israeli dozers demolished 3 residences on the pretext of no construction permit knowing that the houses are located in an area classified ‘C’ according to Oslo. 3 Palestinian Jerusalemite families (27 people including 18 children) were hit by the attack. In addition, the power network was damaged due to the knocking down of a high-voltage electricity pole. This is the second time in less than a month that the area is targeted; in December, 2012, 4 residences were demolished by the Israeli Army.

Table 1: victims of the Israeli attack:

Victim	Family members	Children	Structure	Pictures	remarks
Salim Syam	9	6	A 140-m² residence	1+2+3+4+5+6	Notified of demolition in 2008
Wa’el al Abbasi	7	5	A 120-m² residence	7+8+9	Notified of demolition in 2009
Sidqi al Ghaban	11	7	A 170-m² residence	10	Notified of demolition in 2009
The electricity network			A high voltage pole feeding the area

source: field observation – Monitoring Israeli Human Rights Violation Unit – LRC

It must be noted that Steih area has become the last sanctuary for people escaping the Israeli violent measures in the Occupied City of Jerusalem. However, the area has become a target for the Israeli house demolition policy. More than 70 structures in the area have been notified of demolitions.

The pretext of demolition is either unlicensed construction or claims that the structure affects archeological sites which is unreal and unreasonable. It must be noted that ad Dyuk is a neighborhood that has been recently amended to the jurisdiction of Jericho Municipality.

Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC