Violation: serving stop-work order on a pool

Location:  Khirbet Al-Farisiya – northern Palestinian Jordan Valley

Date:  November 16, 2016

Perpetrators: Planning and Construction Committee- Israel Civil Administration

Victims:  Bedouins of the area

 

Details:

The area of  Khirbet al-Farisiya encounters a water scarcity problem both at human and animals levels, taking into account that resident fully depend on sheep as a main source of income. Despite that al-Farisiya accommodates a number of water springs, yet they are all controlled by Israeli authorities; residents are obliged to buy water from the nearby village of Ein al-Bida with a  relatively high cost.

It should be marked that Israeli Occupation Forces accompanied by the so-called Planning and Construction Committee- Israel Civil Administration raided on November 16, 2016 the area of Khallet Khadr to the east of Khirbet Al-Farisiya and hanged a military order of stop-work on a water pool (200m³) that was established with funds from GVC organization.

According to the order no. 203719, the affected owners were given a deadline until November 24 to complete all licensing procedures. This comes in time with the hearing session of Planning and Construction Committee- Israel Civil Administration in the Israeli court of Beit El colony to consider the status of the notified structure.

 

Photo 1: the target pool

 

The stop-work order no. 203719

 

About the implications of this incident, the chairman of Al-Malih village council, Aref Daraghmeh, told Land Research Center the following:

"  Residents of Khirbet al-Farisiya encounter a water scarcity problem; they are obliged to buy water from the nearby villages with the cost of 10 NIS per cubic meter, which is an expensive rate, especially during the constant Israeli targeting on the area. Israeli Occupation Forces usually confiscate water trucks on the claim of them being present in closed military zones"

He also added:

" Construction works on the pool started in October 2016 for the sake of creating a water source for the Bedouin communities in the area through gathering  the 200 m³  water pumped by Israel Mekrot water company. Farmers use the pool to facilitate obtaining water rather than moving water via tractors and tanks. The occupation insisted on harassing the area's residents and served a stop-work order on the pool to create a de facto and pose a pressure on the 300 inhabitants of the area".

Khirbet Al Farisiya:

Khirbet Al Farisiya is located in Wadi Al Malih in Tubas Governorate at a distance of 20 kilometers east of the city of Tubas. The lands of the Khirbet stretch between Al Tayasir checkpoint and the Jordan River. Its current population is 400 Palestinians while the number exceeded 1,000 before the Israeli occupation of 1967.

The residents of the Khirbet largely depend on farming and herding as main source of income. The main clans in the area are Bisharat, Dababat and Daraghmeh from the city of Tubas and the town of Tammun. A number of the residents have their roots in the area of Yatta in Hebron Governorate.

 

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC