Demolition of human and animal dwellings

Location and Population

Khirbet Tana is located 7 kilometers to the east Beit Furik town in Nablus in the eastern slopes of the West Bank overlooking the Jordan valley rift. The population of Khirbet Tana is divided into farmers and herd owners as they tend to the Khirba every season especially during winter and spring seasons.

Due to the fact that the Khirba is far from Beit Furik town, residents stay in it to take care of their sheep and to plant their fields with barley and wheat. The number of residents in Tana at the time of the latest demolition was 56 families with total family members of 315. See map of location

Map 1: map of Location of Kherbet Tana- Nablus.

Area

The area of Tana is approximately 2500 dunums of which only 4.8 dunums are for the built up area.

Economic situation

The people of Tana depend on animal husbandry as main income. They own about 7000 head of sheep and goat and 200 cows. Their herds graze in nearby pastures whose total area is estimated at 1500 dunums. They, also use another 1000 dunums for the cultivation of animal fodder such as barley and clover. However, the Khirba severely suffer difficult economic conditions because of its location in the semi dry climate where there is no enough water and no fertile pastures.

Citizens of Tana live a semi nomadic life inside barracks, stone built rooms, caverns, sheds, as well as tents.

Israeli threats put in action

On July 5th, 2005, a large Israeli army force comprised of about 35 jeeps supported by bulldozers stormed Khirbet Tana and started the demolition process of a school, 14 residential barracks, 18 animal barracks and sheds, six animal fodder stores as well as two cisterns under the pretext of un-licensing. The total area of those demolished structures is 2159 square meters (2.159 dunums). During this operation, more than 50 dunums of grazing fields were also burned by the attacking Israeli force, see photo 1 and table 1 below and table 1 below

Photo 1: part of the lands burned by the Israeli army in Kherbit Tana, Photo courtesy of LRC.

Table 1: House, barrack, shed and cistern demolition by name of owner, use and area:

No.	Owner's name	Use	Area M2
1	Musa Isa Nasasrah	One barrack for family use	36
		One barrack for animal use	60
2	Abdul hafiz Hasan Abdul Rahman	One barrack for family use	80
		One barrack for animal use	75
		One cavern for storing animal fodder	Non Available ( NA)
3	Firsan Faris Hanani	One stone built house used as family residence	60
		One barrack for animal use	200
		One animal fodder store	NA
4	Ra'id Afif Hanani	One barrack for animal use	180
		One cistern	50
5	Qusai Mustafa Hanani	One barrack for animal use	30
		One animal fodder store	NA
6	Fayez Yusif Hanani	One barrack for animal use	150
		One animal fodder store
7	Samer Abdul Hafiz Hasan	One barrack for family use	40
		One barrack for animal use	50
8	Wasif Abu Sa'ud Hanani	One barrack for family use	40
		One barrack for animal use	120
9	Fursan Musa Isa	One barrack for family use	40
		One barrack for animal use	70
10	Majid Afif Hanani	One barrack for family use	40
		One barrack for animal use	180
		One animal fodder store	NA
11	Arafat Moahmud Nasasrah	One barrack for animal use	70
		One shed for family use	20
12	Mohammed Faris Hanani	One shed for family use	20
13	Mohammed Tawfiq Nasasrah	One stone built room for family use	30
		One barrack for animal use	60
		One animal fodder store	NA
14	Abdul Mahdi Nasasrah	One stone built shed for family use	20
		One shed for family use	50
15	Radi Mahmud Hanani	One barrack for family use	50
		One barrack for animal use	40
		One stone built shed for animal use	40
		One cistern	50
16	Zuhdi Nasasrah	One barrack for animal use	36
		One iron built shed for family use	20
17	Hussein Mustafa Hanani	One barrack for animal use	50
18	Mahmud Ahamd Mahmud	One barrack for family use	42
		One barrack for animal use	100
Total			2159

(Photo 2: The ruins of the residential shed of Mr. Fayez Yusif after demolition))

Photo courtesy of LRC

(Photos 3 & 4: ruins of demolished barracks and sheds in Tana)

Photo courtesy of LRC

This operation came as a culmination of ongoing threats of evacuation and dismissal of Khirbet Tana citizens on part of the Israeli occupation forces.

The first wave of these threats started in March, 2004 when 3 Israeli military jeeps reached Khirbet Tana and ordered the residents to leave the area immediately. See photo 5

(Photo 5: Mr. Fawzan Musa Nasasrah is looking at his demolished shed)
)Photo courtesy of LRC

Services in Khirbet Tana

There is an old mosque composed of one old-room of 50 m2 area. It's age is dated back to almost 150 years. See photo 6

Photo 6: The old mosque of Tana, , Photo courtesy of LRC.

In addition, the Kherba used to have an elementary school established in 2001 and consisted of two classrooms of 80 M2 area. The school was demolished in the campaign of July 5th, 2005. Tana is now left with no school. See Photo 7 and Photo 8

Photo 7: Teachers and pupils standing in front of Tana elementary school building before demolition.

Photo 8: some of the furniture of Tana elemnetary school following the demolition

Photo courtesy of LRC

Water Sources

There are three old springs in Tana. A water collection tank was placed to gather water from the upper and lower springs. The middle spring went dry a while ago. Residents of Kherbit Tana use these springs for both human and animal drinking. A number of underground cisterns were dug up for water collection during winter time. Two of these cisterns were demolished during the aforementioned campaign. See photo 9

Photo 9: A general view of Tana dwellings and the school before demolition . : A general view of Tana dwellings and the school before demolition . Photo courtesy of LRC

Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC