Violation: The issuing of 12 Stop Work Orders, land ploughing and the threat to confiscate additional lands to establish a fence surrounding a colony.
Location: The town of Al Ramadien, south of the Hebron District.
Date: 18 October and 25 August, 2010.
Details:
Israeli occupation forces threatened to demolish a number of water cisterns, bruxes and an under-construction house in the town of Arab Al Ramadien south of the Hebron District; on the 18th of October, 2010, Israeli occupation forces accompanied a representative of the so-called Israeli “Civil” Administration as he distributed Stop Work and Demolition Orders against 9 water cistern, 2 bruxes and a house under construction. The Orders stipulated that the threatened structures were built in Area C without a permit from the Israeli authorities. The Orders instructed the owners of the structures to “stop immediately the construction activity, demolish what was built and to return the land to its previous state within a week.” The Orders also indicated that this operation will be carried out at the expense of the owner of the structure.
Mr. Nawwaf Al Zagharneh, one of the notables of the town, expressed to the Land Research Center (LRC)’s field researcher that the targeted structures are located in the area of Wadi Al Tina. He emphasized that the cisterns were funded by the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture in its effort to fight thirst and drought the District has been suffering from for the past 5 years especially in its southern parts. The cisterns were also dug in the said area to help in the rehabilitation of about 1,000 dunums for agricultural purposes as well as to provide drinking water for the herds of the town which are the main source of income for the towns’ residents.
Photos 1-3: some of the threatened cisterns.
Earlier on the 25th of August, 2010, Israeli occupation forces distributed initial Stop Work Orders against the same structures. Yet, due to the financial hardship faced by the community, its members decided to continue with the implementation of the project despite the Israeli threats. They have received the second ultimatum on the 18th of October, 2010. The following table lists all relevant information regarding the threatened structures:
|
No.
|
Name
|
No. of Structures
|
Area in m2
|
Family Members
|
Type of Structure
|
Building Date
|
Building Status
|
|
1
|
Nawwaf Sarhan Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
27
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
2
|
Nawwaf Jaser Zagharneh
|
1
|
30
|
15
|
Shed
|
2008
|
Used
|
|
1
|
80
|
0
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
||
|
3
|
Salem Jaddou Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
20
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
4
|
Ahmad Suleiman Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
17
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
5
|
Khader Suleimna Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
30
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
6
|
Fayez Jaddou Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
14
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
7
|
Mihbash Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
15
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
8
|
Mansour Fuhaid Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
3
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
9
|
Raed Abdullah Zagharneh
|
2
|
130
|
25
|
Two Bruxes
|
2000
|
Used as an animal shelter.
|
|
10
|
Majed Khalil Abu Qa’ood
|
1
|
150
|
10
|
A house
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
11
|
Abdullah Awwad Zagharneh
|
1
|
80
|
22
|
Cistern
|
2010
|
Under construction
|
|
TOTAL
|
13
|
1030
|
198
|
|
|
|
|
Photos 4+5: Threatened bruxes and sheds – Arab Al Ramadien
Photos 6+7: Children playing in front of their threatened structures.
The town of Arab Al Ramadien has been the target of frequent Israeli violations especially in the western side which overlooks Palestinian lands occupied in 1948; Israeli forces ploughed tens of dunums in the said area bout three months ago in the vicinity of the Racist Wall. The ploughing resulted in the creation of sandy hills that prevented land owners from ploughing the land in preparation for the planting season. The serious situation in the town made its residents call (through LRC) for an urgent intervention including the usage of bulldozers to remove these Israeli-made sandy hills as to proceed to use the land for planting purposes.
Photos 8+9: The effects of ploughing of the lands of Arab Al Ramadien located parallel to the Israeli Racist Wall.
Israeli occupation forces have also stopped and destroyed work carried out by the Action Against Hunger Spanish organization in order to open new agricultural roads leading to Palestinian land near the Wall.
It has to be mentioned that Arab Al Ramadien is surrounded by the colonies of Ashkelot and Sinsana which devoured hundreds of Al Ramadien lands over the years. Currently, extensive work is being carried out in the colony of Sinsana as additional colonial mobile units have been placed in the near past in the eastern side of the colony.
Photo 10: The southern area of the colony of Ashkelot overlooking Wadi Al Tina.
Photos 11+12: The on-going expansion of the colony of Sinsana.
Finally, there is an Israeli plan to confiscate about 1500 dunums of Palestinian lands in Arab Al Ramadien to construct a fence surrounding the colony of Ashkolot.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
