Demolition Orders Target Two Agricultural Structures in Nahalin town / Bethlehem Governorate
- Violation: Halt of work notices for agricultural structures.
- Location: Nahalin – Bethlehem Governorate.
- Date: 14/02/2021.
- Perpetrators: The Israeli Civil Administration.
- Victims: citizens Musa Ghaiada and Ibrahim Ghayada.
Description:
February 14th 2021, The building Inspector at the Israeli Civil Administration raided Nahalin village and served final-demolition orders on agricultural structures on the pretext of building without a license, in Nahalin town Bethlehem Governorate.
The notices ordered the immediate stoppage of construction works, and returning the plot to its previous status. Noteworthy, the owners received halt of works orders in November 30th 2020, and they had to file an objection to the Israeli courts. Despite the injustice in Israeli juridical system, submitting petitions or objections victims of demolition-threats have.
Citizen Musa Ghayada told LRC: “The Occupation issued a notice to prohibit me from working at my plot, I don’t know how this is possible in any law. I own this plot; how can they deprive me from my right to use it.”
The targeted area is nearby Betar Illit colony, which is illegally built on confiscated lands from Nahalin , the occupation Authorities are banning any constructions in these lands in order to keep it as a reserve for future colonial expansion.
The following table provides details about the targeted structures:
|
Affected citizen |
Family members |
Number of children |
Notice number |
Building area |
notes |
|
Musa Ghaiada |
8 |
0 |
Demolition order number 31572
|
40 m2 |
Structure of bricks and zinc |
|
Ibrahim Ghaiada |
6 |
0 |
Demolition order number 31573
|
30 m2 |
Structure of bricks and zinc and a cistern |
Photos 1+2: Demolition orders
Land Research Center LRC sees that demolitions contradict with all of the international conventions and Humanitarian laws including:
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 the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1948 prohibits the destruction of property, as this article states the following: “The occupying power is prohibited from destroying any private, fixed or movable property related to individuals or groups, the state or public authorities, or social or cooperative organizations, unless the war operations inevitably require this destruction.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed.
Paragraph ‘g’ of Article 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 AD also warned against destroying or seizing the enemy’s property, unless the necessities of war necessarily require such destruction or seizure.
Nahalin:[1]
The village is located 9 km to the south west of Bethlehem and 3.5 km to the east of the armistice line of 1949. It is edged by Bitar Illit and Hadar Bitar colonies (north), al Khader (east), Wadi Fukin and the armistice line (west), and number of Israeli colonies (Rush Tzorim, Ealazr, Allon Shevut, and Ezyon) (south).
The village’s total area is 17250 dunums including 496 dunums of built-up area, inhabited by 7460 people according to the PBS statistics of 2007. Israel has confiscated 2988 dunums of the village lands for colonial expansion purposes. 5 colonies inhabited by more than 30,000 colonists reside over the village lands.
[1] GIS-LRC
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
