Israeli Military Notifications to halt Construction of Palestinian Houses in Yasuf Village

On June 13, 2007, the Israeli Occupation Army distributed military orders to nine Palestinian families to halt construction of their houses in Yasuf village located northeast of Salfit city. The military orders were issued under the pretext of building without proper authorization. The threatened houses are located in area classified as Area 'C' according to Oslo II Interim Agreement that was signed between the Palestinians and Israelis in September 1995 where Israel retains full control over security and administration in the area. The residents who received military notifications were Mohammad Yousef Qasem 'Ebaya, Basel Mefleh Rezeq Yassen, Najeh Ibrahim Khalil Yassen, Ayoub Hassan Ayoub, Mashhour Shaher Mohammad Yassen, Zakariya Shaher Mohammad Yassen, Na'em Ahmad Musa Hussein, Jihad Fattouh and 'Abed Allah Met'ib 'Abed Al Qader 'Abed Al Fattah. See table 1 & map 1 for more details. for more details.

Table 1: Details of Israeli Military Notices to Residents of Yasuf

 Source: Yasuf Village Council â�� Salfit (2007)

The military orders allowed the Palestinian houses owners to file objections over a period of one month. That was the first time the residents of Yasuf village receive military orders of this kind. On April 30, 2007, the Israeli Army distributed military orders to residentsâ�� of nearby village Kafr Ad Dik in Salfit Governorate ordering them to halt construction on 13 houses. 

The Village of Yasuf: Location & Population 

Yasuf village lies 6 kilometers to the northeast of Salfit. The Palestinian village Iskaka and the Israeli settlement Ariel border Yasuf from its southwest side, Kfar Tapuah settlement from the northeast side and Rachelim (Shvut Rahel) settlement from the southeast side. The village is a home to 1,761 inhabitants (PCBS 2006) and stands on 238 dunums; about 3.5% of the total village area 6,089 dunums. See Table 2 for Land Classification of Yasuf Village:

ARIJ GIS Database 2007

Land Classification of Yasuf Village:

Under the Oslo II Interim Agreement that was signed in September 1995 between the Palestinians and Israelis, the Palestinian areas in the West Bank were categorized into three control areas: (area A) where Palestinians have complete control over security and civil administration, (area B) where Palestinians have administrativre control but Israel continues to have overriding responsibility for security and (area C) where Israel retains full control over security and administration.

Accordingly, Yasuf village was classified to areas B (1,848 Dunums, more than 30% of the total village area) and C (a total of 4,241dunums, nearly 70%). See Table 3 & Map 2

Israeli Settlements Established on Yasuf Land:

Yasuf village has had its share of the Israeli settlement program over the years. Two Israeli settlements were established on Yasufâ��s lands; the first was established in 1978, to the northeast of the center of Yasuf village and is called Kfar Tapuah. Today, this settlement sets on an area of 626 dunums, about 10.3% of the village's total land area and accommodates approximately 650 Israeli settlers. ARIJ GIS Database – 2006.

The second settlement, Rachelim (Shvut Rahel) settlement, was established in 1991, to the southeast of Yasuf's center. The settlement occupy a total land area of 90 dunums; about 1.6% of the village's land area and has a total of 200 Israeli settlers living in it. ARIJ GIS Database – 2006.

Furthermore, in 2001 & 2002, the Israeli settlers from Kfar Tapuah settlement established two outposts� locations; the first is located within the settlement�s master plan area and the other sets south of the settlement.

Two bypass roads were constructed on lands confiscated from Yasuf in order to link the two settlements with one another as well as with the rest of the Israeli settlements in the surrounding areas anf the Israeli bypass road system. A 3.2 km long bypass roads on the eastern edges of Yasuf village, (bypass road number 505 and Bypass road number 60) pave the way to the Israeli settlers to move around freely toward each other and to Israel.

Legal and International Status

Since the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory back in 1967, the consecutive Israeli governments adopted methodical and systematic policy to undermine the sustainability of the Palestinian existence on their own land, inflicting all sorts of impediments on development, which included demolition of homes, razing lands, destroying agriculture, deprivation of basic rights, imprisonment, etc.

Under the Forth Geneva Convention, Israel is prohibited from destroying Palestinian property or employing collective punishment. Article 53 reads: 'Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons or to the State, or to the public authorities, or to social or corporative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

Also in 2004, the United Nation Security Council Resolution No. 1544 (2004), called on Israel to stop demolition of the Palestinian houses. The resolution provides that: 'The Security Council called on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly the obligation not to undertake home demolitions contrary to that law'.

Prepared by
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
ARIJ