Israeli Occupation Authorities set to demolish Palestinian residential and industrial structures in the village of Qarawet Bani Hassan

On February 9, 2008, The Israeli Civil Administration Liaison Officer handed out residents of Qarawet Bani Hasan for the third consecutive time in three years demolition warnings against four industrial and residential establishments in Qarawat Bani Hassan village located in the northwestern part of Salfit Governorate under the pretext that the establishments were built without proper building license documents. The Israeli Occupation Authorities gave Palestinian owners a period of almost 5 months (until June 27th, 2008) to get �proper licenses� to their establishments; otherwise, the establishments will be demolished. The following is a detail of the establishments' threatened to be demolished along with their owners' names:

(Photo 1: A copy of the order which is received by the
Palestinian Misbah Mustafa Ahmad Misleh from Qarawat Bani Hassan)

It is worth mentioning that that Qarawet Bani Hassan village is a clear example of the Israeli policy aiming at seizing lands from its indigenous Palestinian owners through preventing them from exploiting their agricultural lands and hindering them from expanding to meet the increase in population growth rate as in the last two years, 22 �halt construction� and/or demolition warnings were issued by the ICA against structures in the village under the pretext of being built in Area classified as 'Area C' during the OSLO II Interim Agreement of 1995 where Israel retains full control over the area and therefore Palestinians should acquire building license to build.

The Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995 has set the area allocated for construction in the Palestinian villages and towns through issuing a 'Master Plan' for each Palestinian village and town in the West Bank. This Master Plan was used and is  being used by the Israeli Occupation Authorities against Palestinians in these village and towns as in the case of Qarawet Bani Hassan where the master plan of the village (according to Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995) outlined a total of 875 dunums of the village's total area for housing while excluded a part of the already established residential area in the village which was included in the Israeli planning scheme of November 27, 1990. This part is now set outside the master plan of the village and no Palestinian construction or development is allowed unless the Israeli Civil Administration gives its approval to that construction as the areas no longer fall under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority. This has led to the malfunction of the Master Plan and its expansion in the future where no roads, renovations or any kind of developments is allowed without the consent of the Israeli Civil Administration in that area. 

Qarawet Bani Hassan village: Location and Population

• Qarawet Bani Hassan houses a total population of 3716 according to the Palestinian Central Burea of Statistics population Projection â�� 2006 (PCBS).

• The area allocated for building and construction in the village is 875 dunums.

• The total area of the agricultural lands in the village is 6930 dunums and is divided to:

1.     Rainfed lands Second Degree (area = 886 dunums)

2.     Rainfed lands Third Degree (area = 4,483 dunums).

3.     Lands planted with trees (area = 1560 dunums). 

• The village is surrounded by two Israeli colonies; Kiryat Netafim and Revava.

• The area of Palestinian lands confiscated for the establishment of the aforementioned Israeli colonies is 2,500 dunums.

The village of Qarawat Bani Hassan has also lost a considerable area of its lands for the construction of the Israeli Segregation Wall which also disconnects the ties of both Salfit and Qalqilyah governorates. See Map 1

Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC