Israeli occupation forces inhibited Palestinians of the community of Khirbet Salama, located south of the town of Dura in Hebron Governorate, from rehabilitating and replanting their lands; Israeli soldiers from the so-called “Civil Administration” stopped farmers from continuing their work in the land and forced the bulldozer working in the land to stop under the threat of confiscating it if the owner came back to the said location.
Moreover, Israeli soldier delivered to Mr. Mohammad Musa Awlad Mohammad, the land owner, a military order calling for stopping all types of work in the targeted lands. Mr. Mohammad expressed that such an order is yet another attempt to prevent Palestinian farmers from taking care of their lands leading to the deprivation of a much needed source of income to the families of these farmers.
As for Mr. Ayman Oudeh, the Head of the Khirbet’s Committee, he deplored the Israeli action while assuring that it aims at grabbing more Palestinian lands for the benefit of the nearby settlement of Negohot and its associated outpost.
photo 1: The Stop Work Order
The rehabilitation is sponsored by the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) as it is working on rehabilitating a 40-dunum piece of land owned by a number of Palestinians of Khirbet Salama. The direct beneficiaries of the said project include Mohammad Musa Awlad Mohammad, Raed Oudeh, Ma’eim Mohammad Oudeh, Awwad Mohammad Oudeh, Issa Mohammad Oudeh, Walid Khalil Oudeh, Faisal Mohammad Hasan Oudeh, Hasan Mohammad Hasan, Bajis Ahmad Oudeh and Mohammad Ahmad Oudeh. The rehabilitation project was aimed at revitalizing the land and to plant almond trees as to form a source of income for the beneficiaries. However, Israeli occupation forces stopped the work in the targeted lands after UAWC have finished rehabilitating about 20 dunums.
photo 2 & 3: Work in the rehabilitation project which was stopped by the Israeli occupation forces.
Moreover, occupation forces raided the nearby khirbet of Ifqaiqies and prevented the continuation of the rehabilitation of a 10-dunum piece of land owned by Mr. Jamal Al Awawdeh. Work was prevented on this piece of land due to its close proximity to the colony of Nogohot as a prelude to annex it into the colony.
Previous Violations:
Stopping the rehabilitation projects was not the first violation carried out by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian residents of the two khirbets; the colony of Negohot forms the center from which colonists carry out their attacks as they have repeatedly chased off Palestinian herders grazing their sheep in the vicinity of the colony. They have, also, closed the main road in Khirbet Salama on a number of occasions in an effort to prevented Palestinian traffic from passing. On one occasion the colonists set olive trees owned by Mr. Izzat Oudeh ablaze.
The Colony of Negohot:
The colony is located west of Khirbet Salama. It started to come into being in 1978 when Israeli occupation forces placed a small military base on a 10-dunum piece of land owned by the Abu Sharar clan. In the year 2000, colonists began arriving at the site and mobile caravans started to appear. The colony started to expand bit by bit on the expense of Palestinian lands and property. The current area of the colony is roughly 100 dunums owned by the clans of Abu Sharar, Al Sweiti, Ghannam, Naser and Jadallah.
photo 4: A general view of the colony of Negohot.
Khirbet Salama:
Khirnet Salma is located southwest of the town of Dura in Hebron Governorate. Its population is about 400. Its affairs are run by a local committee. It is connected to electrical as well as phone networks. Its drinking water comes from cisterns and buying tankered water. It has a school, a clinic, a mosque and a kindergarten.
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