An Israeli military confiscation order on lands from the Hebron town of Beit Ummar

• Violation: confiscation order
• Location:  Beit Ummar town- Hebron governorate
• Date:  March 06, 2018
• Perpetrators: Israeli Occupation Forces
• Victims:  residents of Beit Ummar

Details:

Israeli Occupation Forces issued on March 06, 2018 a military order to confiscate 360 dunums from the town of Beit Ummar, north Hebron on the claim of "military purposes". The order number (T/218) was signed by the commander of the Israeli army in the west Bank. The order assigned December 31, 2019 as the renewal date for the order's validity.

Photos 1-3: the military order of confiscation

Reportedly, the acquired plot is located in the natural block number two of Sheikh Al-Arba'in and Khallet Al-Nawamis areas, which are to the east of the town. The confiscated land  that is founded amidst the residential neighborhood of Beit Ummar belongs to citizens from Abu Ayyash family. Residents of the area now fear that the occupation will erupt a military watchtower to harass them and restrict their movement.

About Beit Ummar:

It is located 12 km to Hebron city. The village's total area is 21,285 dunums, of which 1,375 dunums are considered the built-up area; around 13, 548 people inhabit Beit Ummar. The Israeli occupation authorities confiscated 560 dunums from Beit Ummar for the favor of the bypass road no.60.  The occupation also confiscated 1,216 dunums for the favor of the following colonies:

Source: Geographic Information System- Monitoring Israeli Violations Team- Land Research Center

Some International conventions and Humanitarian laws pertaining to confiscating Palestinian lands are:

•  Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

• Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
• No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
• Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights States:

"All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence."

• 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.

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC