Israel razes three under construction houses in Rumana village / Jenin governorate

April 1, 2020

• Violation: Demolishing houses on the pretext of building without licenses.
• Location: Rumana village / northwest Jenin.
• Date: April  1th 2020.
• Perpetrators: The building and organization department- The Israeli Occupation Civil Administration.
• Victims: Three Palestinian families.

Description:

In the early morning hours of Wednesday April 1^st 2020, the Israeli Occupation Forces accompanied by an Israeli military bulldozer raided Rumana village  and razed 3 under construction houses.

The targeted houses are 150 m away from the village’s built up area, and were targeted by a removal notice in early January , the notices then were entitled “Removal of a new building” and issued in reference to military order (1797).

Noteworthy, Owners of the targeted facilities tried to file a petition to avoid the demolition with the help of Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center, but the occupation refused the petition.

The following table shows names and information about the owners of the targeted facilities:

Source: firsthand field observation- Israeli violations monitoring section- LRC

Mr ‘Ayed Marar the responsible on the legal department in the Colonization and Wall Resistance commission told LRC :

“The Occupation’s notice referred to military order 1797 , which was issued by the occupation to confront legal aid defense carried out by the Legal and humanitarian  NGOs in Palestine that aim to support the steadfastness of Palestinian families in C area which makes more than 60% of the total area of the West Bank.”

Murar asserted:

“Military order 1797 primarily targets newly constructed buildings in C area, referring to this military order the occupation issue notices of which the owners can’t file a petition on.”

Rumana village is located only 13 km away northwest Jenin, the village has  a total area of 9650 dunums , of which 84 dunums are blocked behind the apartheid wall, and 100 dunums were devoured under the wall. The village also has a built up area of 280 dunums , and 1000 dunums of postures , and the rest of its lands are almond and olive groves.

Israeli policies of demolishing Palestinian homes are a vlogrant violation of Human Rights and international conventions and agreements:

•  Article 147 of Geneva fourth convention  : extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. ( it is considered a serious violation of the convention)
• Article 53 of Geneva fourth convention that forbids destroying properties : 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 co-operative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.
• Article 33 of Geneva fourth convention: No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed.
• Article 32 of Hague convention 1907 part g: To destroy or seize the enemy’s property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.
• Article 17 of Universal declaration of human rights 10 –Dec- 1948:  No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.