Violation: Israel demolishes the houses of Abu-Eisha and al-Qawasmeh and seals off a third house with concrete

Location: Hebron cityDate: 18/08/2014
Perpetrators: The Israeli occupation army
Victims: Families of Amer Abu-Eisha, Marwan and Husam al-Qawasmeh

Details:

Overnight Sunday of August 18, 2014, Israeli forces blew up two houses and sealed off another with concrete. The residences belong to Hebron men suspect of abducting and murdering three colonists in early June.

A large force of the Israeli army broke into al-Dihdah area where they set explosives in a house and blew it up as well as sealed off another before moving to Wadi Abu Kteila neighborhood where they demolished yet another house.

Blowing up Abu-Eisha property:

At 12:30a.m. of Monday, a large force of the Israeli army broke into the house of Omar Abu- Eishah, whose son Amer is suspect of kidnapping and killing three Israeli colonists. At around 4 o'clock in the morning, army engineers set explosives in the apartment of Amer and blew the property up, turning it into rubble.

It should be noted that the Israeli forces partially damaged the apartment on June 30, 2014 without taking the content of the house out and without any prior warning at that time.

Picture 1: The partial explosion of Abu-Eisha's home on 30/06/2014

 

Pictures 2-4: The explosion of the home on 18/08/2014

The 100 square meters apartment was inhabited by Amer Abu- Eishah along with his wife and three children. The apartment is part of a 2-storey building inhabited by the father, Omar, his three sons and grandchildren, totaling 16 people, including 8 children.

The house had cracked from the first demolition operation and it got even worse after the second but Abu-Eisheh family rushed to do what it takes to save the whole building from collapsing.

It should be mentioned that Israeli authorities have accused Amer Abu -Eisha (31 years old) of compliance and involvement in the abduction and murder of three Israelis. Abu -Eisha has not been arrested yet and has not been summoned to appear in any court or trial.

Sealing off the apartment of Marwan al-Qawasmeh with concrete:

Israeli forces after midnight besieged Saadi al-Qawasmeh's home after bringing mixer trucks , barrels, metal slabs to the area. Israeli soldiers broke into Marwan's apartment in the ground floor, closed the windows with metal slabs and put up barrels and iron nets on the floor, then they pumped 50 cubic meters of concrete into the apartment to guarantee rigid blockade.

 

Pictures 5-7: The sealed department

The Israeli forces had blown up an apartment in the third floor of the building that belongs to Bilal, Marwan's brother. The explosion led to serious damage to the house back then on June 30,2014.

The 40 square meters-the  now sealed- department was inhabited by Marwan (29) and his wife. The apartment is part of a 3-storey 500 square meters house inhabited by five families: The father, Saadi, and his four sons and grandchildren (16 people, including 6 children).

  Marwan al-Qawasma is suspected of kidnapping and killing three colonists. He has not been imprisoned nor trialed.

Explosion of Husam al-Qawasma's home:

Same date was also set for the demolition of Husam al-Qawasma's residence in Wadi Abu Kteila. The Israeli occupation forces set explosives in the house and after four hours they blew it up totally, leveling it to the ground.

 

Pictures 8-10 Explosion of  Husam al-Qawasma's property

The two-floor house was 480 square meters in area and built in 2006. Husam's 8-member family, including 6 children, used to inhabit the house.

The Israeli occupation authorities have charged Husam al-Qawasmeh, who is in Israeli custody, with ordering Marwan al-Qawasmeh and Amer Abu- Eisha to abduct and murder three colonists near the illegal Gush Etzion bloc in Hebron two months ago.

Previous notifications and petitions in Israeli courts:

On June 30, the homes of Marwan al-Qawasmeh and Abu Eisha had been partially destroyed by the army, a day after the colonists' bodies were found. Israeli authorities returned to the same residences with "demolition and confiscation orders" on July 16 and gave the families of the suspects two days only to demur. The citizens sought the help of lawyers and the 'Centre for the Defense of the Individual' (Hamoked) to file a demurer and petitions against the intended punitive demolition of the houses to "Israel Supreme Court" but were refused on Aug12 and the court ordered the demolition of Amer Abu- Eisha's house, sealing off of Marwan al-Qawasma's and total destruction of Husam al-Qawasma's. 

For more details about the previous attacks on Abu-Eisha's and al-Qawasma's homes, check out the following report:

"Unrivaled Wave of Attack on Hebron" 
The Israeli Occupation Razes the Homes of the Families of al-Qawasmi and Abu- Eisha (Ar, Eng)

Israel is reenacting the abolished 1945 British Emergency Law:

Israel's policy of demolishing houses has its roots in the British Mandate as Israel cited Article 119 of the 1945 British Mandate Emergency Regulations, enacted by the High Commissioner of the Palestine Mandate, as justification for demolitions. Article 119 states:

“(1) A Military Commander may by order direct the forfeiture to the Government of Palestine of any house, structure, or land from which he has reason to suspect that any firearm has been illegally discharged, or any bomb, grenade or explosive or incendiary article illegally thrown, or of any house, structure or land situated in any area, town, village, quarter or street the inhabitants or some of the inhabitants of which he is satisfied have committed, or attempted to commit, or abetted the commission of, or been accessories after the fact to the commission of, any offense against these Regulations involving violence or intimidation or any Military Court offense; and when any house, structure or land is forfeited as aforesaid, the Military Commander may destroy the house or the structure or anything growing on the land. (2) Members of His Majesty’s forces or of the Police Force, acting under the authority of the Military Commander may seize and occupy, without compensation, any property in any such area, town, village, quarter or street as is referred to in subregulation (1), after eviction without compensation, of the previous occupiers, if any.”

 

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC