On 28 December 1998, Israeli soldiers entered the Palestinian village of Kufer Haris, forcefully removed the residents of two houses, and demolished their houses with bulldozers (Figure 1). The first house they entered belonged to 42 year old Mahmoud Shakuor. On this Monday morning, his family of eight were forced out of their house without warning. All they could do was watch as the middle section of their home was reduced to rubble (Figure 2). ). ). The first house they entered belonged to 42 year old Mahmoud Shakuor. On this Monday morning, his family of eight were forced out of their house without warning. All they could do was watch as the middle section of their home was reduced to rubble .
Figure 1:Location of the Palestinian village of Kufer Haris.
Figure 2: The Shakuor family in front what is left of their home.
The Shakuor family home was built in 1951, before Israel took control of the West Bank in 1967. In 1995, a 65 m² section was built in the courtyard, surrounded on three sides by the original structure, in order to make room for the growing family. The Israeli government did not seem to care that no new land was expanded upon for this construction. The Shakuor family is now forced to live in two small rooms, one of which used to be the kitchen.
The Israeli soldiers then moved on to the house of Husam Abu Yakoub, 40 years old, down the road. This time the family of six refused to leave their home, and village members attempted to stop the soldiers by throwing stones at them. The soldiers responded by launching tear gas into the crowd and firing upon them with rubber-coated steel bullets. Three of the soldiers were injured by the stones, while five Palestinians were wounded by the attacking soldiers. The owner of the house, Mr. Yakoub, also suffered a head injury when he was physically removed from his home.
The soldiers then fired tear gas into the one-story house to remove Mr. Yakoub's children. The Yakoub's smallest child, however, could not leave on his own, and was still inside when the demolition began. Thankfully, Mr. Yakoub recovered his child before the house was completely destroyed (Figure 3). .
Figure 3: The Yakoub family in front of their demolished home.
Three days before New Years Eve and mid-way through the holy month of Ramadan, the Yakoub family is left with nothing but each other (Figure 4). The 100 m² house was built in 1994 and cost them US$ 27,000; all their life savings. Most of their belongings were still in the house when it was destroyed. The six member family now lives in two tents set up beside their demolished home. ). The 100 m² house was built in 1994 and cost them US$ 27,000; all their life savings. Most of their belongings were still in the house when it was destroyed. The six member family now lives in two tents set up beside their demolished home.
Figure 4: Happy New Year: Child stares at his former home.
The reasoning behind these house demolitions is that part of Kufer Haris is designated as area 'C' under the Oslo Accords, whereas the rest is area 'B.' Although the Palestinian Authority has control over domestic affairs in area B, area C is still under full Israeli control. Palestinians are prohibited from building in area C without obtaining a permit which is virtually impossible to attain. Both the Shakuor family and the Yakoub family had gone through all of the legal procedures to obtain a permit only to be denied. When the Yakoub family was served with demolition orders on January 1, 1998, they fought them in court to no avail. Repeated attempts to obtain the proper permits and go through legal channels cost them an additional US$ 4,000. The Shakuor family fought similar legal battles for two years.
Four houses had previously been demolished in Kufer Haris since the Oslo Agreement was signed in 1993. A similar threat still hangs over four other houses in the village of 4,500 people, including another addition to the Shakuor family home which was for some reason spared this time. The ever-growing presence of the Israeli settlement of Ari'al (Figure 5), the second largest settlement in the West Bank, casts doubts on the minds of many that peace will ever come to their families (), the second largest settlement in the West Bank, casts doubts on the minds of many that peace will ever come to their families (Figure 6).
Figure 5: Aerial photo of Kufer Haris.
Figure 6: Sign outside the Yakoub family tents in Arabic, Hebrew, and English.
The policy of house demolitions is one of many restrictions imposed by the Israelis on the Palestinians . Following the signing of the Wye Memorandum in October 1998, the Israeli government was rumoured to have stopped this policy even though it was not directly mentioned in the agreement. This latest incident shows the true intentions of the State of Israel.
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
&
