On the 3rd of September, 2009, Israelis occupation forces demolished 4 water pools in Al Beqa’ area located east of the city of Hebron. The collected water was used for irrigation purposes. The first demolished water pool was owned by Mr. Badawi Areef Al Rajabi.
Photo 1 & Photo 2: Israeli occupation bulldozers during the demolition of Al Rajabi water pool.
The demolition has started as early as 6:30 AM after Israeli forces have placed Al Beqa’ under a tight closure of its entry and exit points. The owner, his wife and two of his sons were detained during the demolition. Also, the owner has a scuffle with the soldiers leading to injuries in his eyes and face.
Photo 3: Israeli occupation forces placing Mr. Areef Al Rajabi and his family under detention during the demolition.
Moreover, the water that was let out of the pool during the demolition has caused irreparable damage to the grape vines situated below the pool due to the strength of the poured water.
Photo 4 & Photo 5: Palestinian lands damaged due to water pouring from the demolished pool.
It has to be mentioned that the demolished pool used to be able to hold 2000 cubic meters of water. Israeli occupation forces continued its destruction as it demolished an additional 3 pools belonging to the following:
1. Mustafa Mohammad Al Rajabi. The capacity of the pool was 3,000 cubic meters of water.
2. Hasan Bader Mohammad Jaber. The capacity was 1,500 cubic meters of water.
3. Kayed Fadel Naji Jaber. The capacity was 3,000 cubic meters of water.
Israeli occupation forces had issued demolition orders against these pools back in March 2009. Around 300 Palestinians living in Al Beqa’ benefited from the demolished pools.
Photo 6: The water pool of Mr. Areef Al Rajabi before its demolition.
According to the Palestinians of Al Beqa’, the main goal of this wave of demolition is to force the Palestinians off of their lands and then use it for the expansion of the colonies of Kiryat Arba and Kharsina located nearby. Moreover, one of the commanders of the Israeli force that carried out the demolition has reportedly said that his goal is to see Al Beqa’ (considered to be the food basket of the city of Hebron) to a “waterless desert”!!! Other goals Israeli occupation wanted to achieve via the demolition at this time of the year were to damage to the extent possible the agricultural season and to fight Al Beqa’ residents in their livilhoods as agriculture is the main source of income for them.
Previous Violations:
The wave of demolition that took place in early September 2009, was not the first violation carried out by the occupation forces against the residents of Al Beqa’ as these forces have demolished a number of pools and houses in the same area throughout the years. It, also, issued a series of demolition orders in March 2009 against a number of water pools in the area. Moreover, these forces have carried out a number of water pool demolitions in Al Beqa’ in June 2009 while confiscating thousands of meters of irrigation plastic pipes. It was estimated, then, that the confiscation of irrigation pipes and other agricultural tools has led to a loss of approximately $50,000 while the material cost caused by the demolition of the water pools exceeded $300,000.
For additional information regarding the Israeli violations against the Palestinians of Al Beqa’, please refer to the following reports that were researched earlier by the Land Research Center:
Al Beqa’:
Al Beqa’ is located east of the city of Hebron. Road 60 cuts the area into two sections. Its lands are considered to be the most fertile in Hebron Governorate and its grape orchards produce the best types of grapes in the South. It is provided by electricity from Hebron Municipality while its residents hope that they will soon be connected to the phone network from the nearby town of Sa’ir. There are no schools in Al Beqa’ which forces its students to go to schools in the nearby towns of Hebron, Sa’ir or Bani Na’eim.
Photo 7: An overview of Al Beqa’
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
