Eviction Orders for 92 Dunums in Hebron Governorate

Violation: eviction orders for agricultural fields.

Date: April 6, 2011.

Location: Khallit al M’aser – Ar Rihiya – Hebron Governorate.

Perpetrators: Central Inspection Unit – the Israeli Occupation Army.

Victims: members of At Tubasi clan.

Details:

The Israeli Occupation Authorities served eviction orders of more than 92 dunums of agricultural lands in Ar Rihiya, southern Hebron. The orders, entitled ‘Immediate Eviction Order’ and signed by the ‘Central Inspection Unit, the Israeli Army’, were served in a written form on April 6, 2011.

The orders stated that ‘the owners had illegally taken over the lands’ and ordered them to ‘return the lands to the status quo within 45 days’. The orders numbered in sequentially from 476 to 484 warned the land owners of initiating a large-scale evacuation operation in case they did not comply; besides, they provided the victims with a 45-day-respite to object to the ”Ufar Military Objections Committee’.

Picture 1-3: part of the endangered lands

Mohammad at Tubasi, informed an LRC observer that the farmers found the orders in their fields; maps showing the coordinates of the lands were enclosed with the orders. Parts of the threatened lands are herding areas while the rest is planted with cereals, grapes, prunus, and olives; some of the fields include water wells within.

In 2008, PARC implemented a land rehabilitation project that covered more than 100 dunums in the area; planting trees and retaining walls. The Israeli intentions of taking over the lands became obvious in 1998 when they placed a watch tower on the top of a mountain overlooking the area. Soon afterwards, they milled a road linking the tower with Beit Haggai colony before building a park in the area.

Picture 4: the Israeli watch tower

The landlords indicated that the Israeli harassments has begun in 2000 when they were prevented from entering their lands; at that time, the Israelis had started placing light polls on the newly-milled road. At Tubasi added:’ in 2000, the Israelis handed us an order stating that our lands has become unreachable; the folks demonstrated against the order and we demanded meeting with the man in charge to object. Lizyon, that was his name, told us that they will remove the light polls from the lands but they were all lies; nothing was removed’.

He pointed that the Israelis uprooted 70 olive trees in 2007 and added:’ in February, 2011, the Israeli Occupation Civil Administration demanded our presence in order to meet with the officials; we presented Ottoman title deeds and English title deeds so he promised to investigate the matter further. The result of the investigation was 9 eviction orders’.

Picture 5-6 : Beit Haggai expanding on Palestinian lands

He pointed that they appointed Ghayyath Naser, an attorney of law, to represent them in the Israeli Courts. When an LRC observer arrived to the area, he noticed the locals scaling their lands in order to enclose maps with the complaint file. Soon afterwards, Israeli troops appeared in the area, detained the farmers for more than an hour before releasing them and ordering them to evacuate the fields.

They informed them that the lands are accessible only through permits issued by the Civil Administration.

The locals rejected and condemned the Israeli decision saying that the Israelis intend to take over their land and use to expand Beit Haggai colony.

Table 1: notified lands and trees by type:

Area (dunum)	Rangelands and deserted lands area (dunum)	Olive trees	Prunus	grapes
92	44	1500	630	450

Table (s) 2: victims, by order number:

1) Order 476:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation				remarks
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands	remarks
1	Taleb at Tubasi heirs	2	—	30	—	6	Olives were uprooted
2	Abdullah at Tubasi heirs	2	—	—	—	Waste land

Picture 1,A1

2) Order 477:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands
1	Ismael at Tubasi	29	—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
2	Yusuf at Tubasi		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
3	Taleb at Tubasi heirs		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
4	Mohammad at Tubasi		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
5	Mousa at Tubasi		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
6	‘Atiyya at Tubasi		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
7	Fawzi at Tubasi		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
8	Khaled at Tubasi		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands
9	Fayez at Tubasi heirs		—	—	—	Wastelands and rangelands

Picture 2

3) Order 478:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation				remarks
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands	remarks
1	Yusuf at Tubasi	10	200	—	—	—	Contains a water well
2	Ahmad at Tubasi		200	—	—	—	—
3	Ismael at Tubasi		150	100	100	—	Contains a water well
4	Mousa at Tubasi		100	—	—	—	—

Picture 3

4) Order 479:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation				remarks
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands	remarks
1	Ahmad at Tubasi	1	60	—	50	—	Contains a water well
2	Issa at Tubasi	1	40	50	20	—

Picture 4,A4

5) Order 480:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation				remarks
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands	remarks
1	Ahmad at Tubasi heirs	1	—	—	—	yeast	—
2	Mousa at Tubasi	1	—	—	—	yeast	—

Picture 5, A5

6) Order 481:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation				remarks
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands	remarks
1	Ahmad H. at Tubasi	5	50	—	—	rangelands	Olives were uprooted
2	Mohammad H. at Tubasi	5	—	—	—	yeast	—

Picture 6, A6

7) Order 482:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands
1	Mohammad S. at Tubasi	7	150	—	—	—
2	Mousa at Tubasi	7	100	—	—	—

Picture 7, A7

8) Order 483:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Rangelands, yeast
1	Issa at Tubasi Heirs	5	—	—	—	rangelands
2	Khalil at Tubasi Heirs		—	—	—	rangelands
3	Yusuf at Tubasi		—	—	—	rangelands
4	Mohammad at Tubasi Heirs		—	—	—	rangelands
5	Ibrahim at Tubasi Heirs		—	—	—	yeast

Picture 8, A8

9) Order 484:

No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Plantation				Remarks
No.	Victim	Area (dunum)	Olive	Prunus	Grapes	Cereals and rangelands	Remarks
1	Mousa at Tubasi	22	100	100	—	—	Contains a water well
2	Ahmad at Tubasi Heirs		100	100	—	—	—
3	Ismael at Tubasi		50	50	50	—	Contains a water well
4	Mohammad at Tubasi Heirs		50	50	50	—	Contains a water well
5	Tayseer at Tubasi		50	50	50	—	Contains a water well
6	Zyad at Tubasi		50	50	50	—	Contains a water well
7	Mousa at Tubasi		50	50	50	—	Contains a water well (under construction)

Picture 9

* Source: direct field visits, Monitoring Israeli Colonization Activities Team – LRC

Ar Rihiya, an Overview:

It is located 12 km to the south of Hebron and is inhabited by around 5000 people. The village holds electricity, phones, and water networks and administered by a village council. The village holds within its boundaries 2 high schools, 2 elementary schools, a kindergarten, 3 cooperative societies, and 7 mosques.Its edged by Yatta (east and south), Al Fawwar camp (west), and Haggai colony (east).

Beit Haggai colony:

The colony was established in 1983 over the lands of Hebron city (3 km away); it is considered one of the largest colonies in Hebron area. In 2001, the colony branched extending to the south; establishing a new colony called Givat Rehva’am. The Israeli PM announced the evacuation of Givat Rehva’am; the thing that never actually happened.

Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC