Violation: capturing 6 dunums of Palestinian lands and plowing 2 dunums.
Location: Ein Qissis – al Khader – Bethlehem.
Date: May 12, 2012.
Perpetrators: Ezyon colonists.
Victim: Mahmoud Ghneim.
Details:
On May 12, 2012, Israeli colonists of Ezyon colony broke into a 6-dunum-field and assumed control over it. The field is mostly planted with peach and grapes while two dunums are currently unused. The owner was informed about the take over buy some other farmers in the area who witnessed the colonists plowing the land. He rushed there and quarreled with the colonists and managed to drive them away. He filed an official complaint against the colonists; however, similar complaints against colonists have proved to be useless. Ghneim is anxious and worried; he is currently trying to plant trees in the empty land in an attempt to protect it.
Al Khader:
Al Khader is located 4.5 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.
Area and Location:
Al Khader is 20100 dunums in area including 800 dunums of built-up area.
Previous violations:
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 og 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).
Capturing land is violation of the international laws and the human rights conventions including article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating: ‘ (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property’.
