• Violation: demolishing a Palestinian family’s house.
• Location: Aj-Jiftlik / North Jericho.
• Date: 11/12/2018.
• Perpetrator: The Israeli occupation army.
• Victims: Family of Omar Ar-Rahayleh.

Description:

Like every day, Farmer Omar Ar-Rahayleh headed to his work in the morning and his three children headed to their school.

At 8:30 Omar was shocked by a call from his wife telling him that the Israeli occupation troops and their machineries are demolishing their house.

Omar tried to stop them but they opened fire on his truck and hit him with their guns before they arrested him bleeding.

Omar’s children came back and started crying over their father and the new house they were waiting to move to.

Photos 1-2: the house demolition

 

Omar Ar-Rahayleh (38) works in agriculture, he is the supporter of a family of 5, of which 3 are children, the oldest is 12 years old, his family now lives in a simple residence built of bricks and zinc (10 m²). Omar built a new house for his family in order to provide a secured life for them (the house used to consist of 2 floors , each 150 m²).

Photo 3: Ar-Rahayleh current house

In July -31 , Omar received a halt of work military order issued by the so called Israeli occupation civil administration claiming that the house was built before getting a proper license from the occupation, the military order (266353) set September 14 as the building and organizing committee session to decide the fate of the structures.

Photos 4+5: The military orders

In September 14 , the occupation issued a demolition military order targeting the same house , the occupation gave the owner 30 days to file an objection to the Israeli court, the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center followed up the case in the Israeli court, the court refused the objection and destroyed the house and the family’s dream.

Omar Ar-Rahayleh was left with debts and broken dreams, like many other Palestinians, whose lives were destroyed by the occupations cruelty.

Photos 6-9” Ar-Rahayleh children around their destroyed home

 

About al- Jiftlik:[1]                                                      

It is located 35km to the northern part of Jericho city and is edged by the village of Beit Dajan from the northwest and Massua colony from the west. The village has a population of 3100 people until 2017 and has a total land area of 185031 dunums of which 1110 dunums are built-up area. Noteworthy, the occupation expropriated around 12040 dunums from the village as follows:

• 3207 dunums were confiscated for the favor of establishing colonies in the nearby.
• 3328 dunums were confiscated for the bypass roads no. (90, 505, and 508).
• 5505 dunums were confiscated for the favor of military camps

International Conventions and agreements pertaining to house and residents demolition:

 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

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 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”.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

 Article 1 states: “1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

2. 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.
3. The States Parties to the present Covenant, including those having responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories, shall promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.”

 

[1] GIS-LRC