On the 28th of November 2008 a number of Palestinian farmers in the village of Azzun Al Atma were handed Military Order number T/08/06 signed by the head of the Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. The order called for the re-routing of the Israeli Racist Isolation Wall in the village.
The Israeli Army at the moment of the military order to Palestinians
The re-routing called for the confiscation of 16 dunums and 580 meters of the village’s southern and southwestern lands in parcels 7, 8 and 10. According to the Order, the confiscated lands will be used to change the route of the Wall which was established on villages’ lands in 2006. The suggested new route has a length of 4 kilometers starting from the western entrance of Azzun Al Atma along By-Pass Road 505 until it reaches the colony of She’ar BiTekva in the east. Two additional agricultural gates will also be added; the first one will be installed at the southern entrance of the village while the second one is planned to be placed near Al Shilla water cistern in the western side of the village. Moreover, the Military Order stipulated the establishment of two military observation towers as well as placing motion sensors on the new electrical fence in addition to closing the gaps in the current fence.
Photo 4: Bypass Road No. 505
In case the proposed re-routing takes place, thousands of additional agricultural dunums will be isolated behind the new Wall. The would-be isolated lands are owned by Palestinian farmers from the villages of Siniria, Al Zawiya and Masha. Their entrance to their lands will be contingent upon getting permits from the relevant occupation authorities. As such, their access to their lands will become harder and maybe even impossible.
The so-called “Civil Administration” branch of the Israeli occupation forces gave the owners of the targeted lands only 7 days to object to the re-routing decision while indicating that the execution of the Order will be carried out in a maximum time period of 60 days despite any legal efforts undertaken to prevent it.
The Negative Impact of the Military Order:
-
The isolation of a community cistern used to irrigate the lands located beyond the Wall.
-
The isolation of a whole neighborhood located west of the would-be established Wall. This neighborhood has already been suffering since the year 2000 as the vehicles of its residents could not reach the rest of the village due to Israeli closures. The residents could reach the village only on foot while carrying out their daily needs (gas, vegetable, fruits, etc) for a distance of no less than 200 meters.
-
The isolation of a total of 3700 dunums behind the Wall; 1800 dunums of lands belonging to residents of Azzun Al Atma and Sinirria in which olive trees and Green Houses are present. An additional 1100 dunums belonging to the villages of Al Zawiya and Masha that is planted with olive trees while 800 dunums located near the Green Line and inside the boundary of the colony of Orniet.
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC
