Violation: demolishing 6 residences

Date: 27/10/2014

Location: Yatta/ Hebron govenorate

Perpetrators: the army of the occupation and the Civil Administration

Victims: citizens from al-Hathalin family

Details:

The authorities of the occupation demolished on October 27th 2014 six residences and a Tabun (a Tabun, an a traditional oven built with clay and gravels and mainly used for baking bread) in the area of Khirbet Um al-Khair, east of Yatta in Hebron governorate.

A massive force of the occupation and the border police accompanied by a staff from Civil Administration and two bulldozers surrounded the Khirbet and embarked on demolishing the structures after the staff evicted some of the interior, citizen Tareq al-Hathalin said.

 

Photos1-3: the occupation troops at time of demolition

The demolition reached out the following structures :

1. The residence of citizen Abdallah al-Hathalin : which is built by cement bricks and roofed with metal slabs in 2011. The house shelters  a six member family including 4 minors. The 60m2 house has been previously served a stop work order on 08/01/2012.

2. The residence of Khairallah al-Hathalin : which is built by cement bricks and roofed with metal slabs. The house is of 60m2 and is inhabited by 3 members including a minor.

 

Photos 4-5:   the rubbles of Khairallah's house

3. The residence of Bilal al-Hathalin : which is made of cement bricks and is of 60m2. This house shelters Bilal's 3 member family.

  

 

Photos 6-9: the rubbles of Bilal's house

4. The residence of citizen Suliman al-Hathalin: which is built by cement bricks and roofed with metal slabs in 2011. The 80m2 house shelters Suliman's 16 member family. The house was notified with stop work on 08/01/2012.

Photo10: a scene of Suliman's house before demolition

 

Photos 11+12: the rubbles of Suliman's house

5. The residence of citizen Halima al-Hathalin: which is a 35m2 caravan gifted by (OCHA) in June 2012. The caravan shelters Halima's 8 member family. Halima got her original house demolished on  25/01/2012 after being served a stop work order on 12/06/2012.

Photo 13 : a scene of Halima's house before demolition

 

Photos 14-16: the rubbles of Halima's house

6. The residence of Maliha al-Hathalin: which is made of cement bricks and roofed with metal slabs. The house is inhabited by 6 members including one minor. The 70m2 house was built in 2009.
7. Tabun (a traditional oven built with clay and gravels and mainly used for baking bread):

It is built in a small room, which is made of stones and roofed with cloth shades. The Tabun is there since tens of years to serve 40 member of al-Hathalin family, providing them with their daily bread. The colonists of Karmiel tried many times to demolish the Tabun and one of them submitted a court complaint because of the smoke arising from  it.

Photo17: a scene of the Tabun before the demolition

 

Photos 18-20: the rubbles of the Tabun

Citizen Tareq al-Hathalin asserted that the Palestinian Red Crescent gifted 6 tents to shelter those who lost their houses. He also added:" people suffered to provide bread for their kids because of the Khirbet far from the town of Yatta". As a result, residents built a new oven, which the occupation attacked on 29/10/2014 and assaulted women who stood to defend it .

Land Research Center sees houses and properties demolition a clear-cut violation of all international conventions and laws:

 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

 Article 1 states: " All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Article 17: " (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."

The 1907 the Hague Convention

 Article 23: " In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden

g.  To destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war;"

The Geneva Fourth convention

 article 53: "  Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations."

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:

Article 11.1 states: "The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international co-operation based on free consent".

LRC has documented the violations and attacks Khirbet Um al-Khair went through during 2014 as follows:

• Karmiel colonists target a Tabun in Um al-Khair on 10/01/2014 (Ar, Eng)
• Troops of the occupation and colonists ban farmers form their pastures on 19/04/2014 (Ar, Eng)
• A stop work  order on a fence surrounding a farm on 01/06/2014 (Ar, Eng)
• A final " removal" order on a fence surrounding a farm on 11/08/2014 (Ar, Eng)

 

 

 

Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC