- Violation: confiscating vehicles
- Location: Beit Ummar town- Hebron
- Date: January 06-07, 2016
- Perpetrators: Israel Civil Administration and army troops
- Victims: citizens from the town
Details:
Israel Civil Administration raided on January 06, 2016 the Hebron town of Beit Ummar and confiscated an agricultural tractor and some constriction materials.
It should be marked that the Civil Administration raided the area of the Al-Thaghra at time a vehicle relative to the Beit Ummar municipality and workers were providing an electricity cable for the house Saber Abu Maria. The workers were informed by the Civil Administration that works in such area are prohibited and that they must move the vehicle to Etzion colony as a result. A minute of confiscation was delivered to the municipality workers after the vehicle was driven to the colony.
Photo A: the minute of confiscation
Two days after, representative from the municipality went to the colony to restore the vehicle but the officer there asked them to cut the power off of the house of Abu Maria. And that the officer will render a visit to the location to make sure that the house was not provided with power.
As a result, the municipality cut the power off of Abu Maria’s residence that is inhabited by three members including one toddler. The municipality took photos of the cut off operation to show it as an evident to the Civil Administration in Etzion. Still, the officer there refused to give the municipality back the vehicle and claimed that the location where the municipality worked is classified as area “C” that is under Israeli control.
Photo 1+2: the moment the power was cut off of Abu Maria’s
The municipality of Beit Ummar now faces difficulties in providing services to citizens in area “C”, which will deprive many families from municipal services.
It should be marked that Israel Civil Administration also confiscated a tractor from the same area where the municipality vehicle was confiscated. The confiscated tractor was working nearby Abu Maria’s house that was served a stop-work order on 2013. Noteworthy, Abu Maria applied for a building permit at that time as a result. The officer ordered Abu Maria to drive the tractor to Etzion colony to be confiscated until he removes all the construction material from the house periphery.
Photo 3: the stop-work order served on Abu Maria’s
Photo 4: the receipt Abu Maria got after applying for a license for the house
As a result, Abu Maria had to move the construction materials to a storage unit next to his house in Al-Arrub camp and then went to Etzion colony to restore his tractor.
Photos 5-6: Abu Maria storage unit
It is reported that the same force went to a construction site belonging to citizen Anwar Al-Alami in the area of Shu’ub Qins and confiscated a cement truck and a large metal container used by workers at the site. The Civil Administration left a minute of confiscation in the area after moving the confiscated items to the colony.
Photos B and C: the minute of confiscation
Some international laws and convections pertaining to confiscation and destruction of properties:
- Art. 147. Grave breaches to which the preceding Article relates shall be those involving any of the following acts, if committed against persons or property protected by the present Convention: wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, unlawful deportation or transfer or unlawful confinement of a protected person, compelling a protected person to serve in the forces of a hostile Power, or wilfully depriving a protected person of the rights of fair and regular trial prescribed in the present Convention, taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.
- Article 17 of the (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating: “Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”
- Section ‹G› of article 23 of the (1907) The Hague Conventions asserting: “In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.”
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
