On April 29, 2010, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), handed over Palestinian local residents of ‘Ein al Hilweh Bedouin community in Al -Maleh village in the eastern parts of Tubas Governorate in the northern Jordan Valley, a military order notifying them that their 10 dunums of lands were they live is declared as a ‘closed military area’, and that they have to evacuate the lands immediately. More than that, and after they handed over the military order to the residents, they started without a prior notification to demolish a number of their shelters which they used for their cattle.
Al- Maleh is a small Palestinian community located to the eastern parts of Tubas Governorates in the northern Jordan Valley. It is bordered by Kardala village from the north, Khirbet Al Ahmar community form the south, AL-Aqaba community from the east , and Al-Farissieh village as well as the Israeli bypassroad #578 from its west. Al- Maleh is populated by 260 residents (PCBS 2010). See Map 1
Map 1: The targeted lands in Wadi Al Maleh
It is worth mentioning that the total area of Tayaseer village boundary (which includes Al- Maleh, Tayaseer and Al-Aqaba communities) is 23,434 dunums, 287 dunums (1.2%) of which are only the Palestinian built-up area while the rest of the lands are closed military areas, controlled by the IOF from the year 1967, and allocated for the building of the Israeli military bases and illegal settlements.
To Conclude
Israel, andby its colonial plans and activities in the Jordan Valley is imposing facts on the ground in an attempt to unilaterally reshape the borders of the “Israeli Occupation State”, where it seeks to impose its ultimate control over the Eastern Segregation Zone which constitutes 13% from the total are of the West Bank. The Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu stated on January 20, 2010 that: “In the case of the future settlement with the Palestinians, this will require an Israeli presence on the eastern side of the prospective Palestinian state”.
Israel is working toward undermining any chance to reach a just and durable peace settlement with the Palestinians by executing systematic colonial plans in all over the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Israeli practices are clearly violated the International law rules and conventions:
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Article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo Agreement Israel is forbidden from building or planning to any project or any colonial expansion or any plan that lead to change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The article provides “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations”.
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Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, Article 17 reads: ‘No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’ Which means it bans Israel from destroying or confiscating the property of the Palestinians at any case.
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Also Article 53 & 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 indicated that: Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, is a grave breach of the Convention.
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Art. 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 also provides: In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy’s property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war;
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute -Jerusalem
