The Palestinian residents in all parts of the oPt are facing a tremendous Israeli targeting for their lands and properties that took place on a daily basis with the aim of strangulating the Palestinian communities and tightening the grip over their residents while the demolition, razing, uprooting, leveling confiscation became a daily scene for them.
Al -Khader Village………Ever-ending Suffering
Al- Khader village (4.5 km east of Bethlehem city) has long history of suffering from the Israeli occupation where the village lands and properties are legitimate targets for the Israeli Army in parallel with the Israeli settlers where the village is surrounded by six illegal Israeli settlements that were built on 2791 dunums (14% of the village’s total area) from the village land. Moreover and when completed, the Israeli Apartheid Segregation Wall will end up isolating 15,144 dunums (75.4%) of the village’s total land area, including the six Israeli settlements established on the village’s land and annex them to the Israeli side of the Wall.
During the last couple of weeks Al-Khader village has witnessed several Israeli colonial violations that targeted the village lands and properties:-
July 22, 2012:
About twenty Israeli settlers from Efrat settlement south of Al-Khader village west of Bethlehem governorate installed mobile homes on a hill top known as “Im Hamdin” located about 100 meters away from Im Rukba neighborhood in the village, where the area of the targeted lands exceed 60 dunums owned by Mousa, Salah families from Al-Khader and Shahin family from Artas village.
Mahmoud Issa, member of Al-Khader municipality council indicated that the targeted lands are cultivated with almonds and fruits while its owners used to cultivate it dozens of years ago…….. he also added the this hill top was a target for the Israeli settlers of the nearby illegal settlements for long years ago where they tried many times to seize the land to install a new outpost in the site but the resistance from the village residents and especially from the owners of these lands deprived the settlers to achieve their colonial and expansionist project.
July 24, 2012:
Israeli settlers from Efrat settlement south of the village stationed in 14 dunums piece of land in ‘Ein al Qassis area west of Al-Khader, owned by the local resident Suleiman Othman Subeih and his sons, and started razing the land to construct a road and a tunnel to link between Efrat settlement and a nearby illegal outpost known as “Neve Daniel North” – Hananya, which resulted in the destruction of more than 60 fruitful trees.
August 9, 2012:
In big celebration, Israeli settlers from Efrat settlement declared the inauguration of a park near the settlement, on lands illegally captured from Palestinians in Al Masri Valley in Al Khader Village. The work on the park started back in 2000 when settlers took over vast areas of Palestinian lands and transferred water well in the area that was used to water Palestinian crops, to a swimming pool used only by settlers and accordingly the Palestinian owners of these lands would be deprived from reaching their lands from picking their grapes crops.
August 13, 2012:
The Israeli Occupation Bulldozers razed five dunums of agricultural lands cultivated with olive and demolished water well for irrigation in Al-‘Absiya area nearby Eliazer settlement. Mr. Riziq Mohamad Hussein Salah, the owner of the targeted lands, indicated that a herd of Israeli settlers razed his land and destroyed dozens of olive trees. He also added that an Israeli colonial organization known as “Women in Green” and it’s Director Nadia Matar heading systematic attacks against the Palestinian agriculture lands around Gutsh Etzion settlement bloc area for the purpose of pushing the Palestinians out of their lands for the interest of the expansionist project in the area.
August 18, 2012:
A number of Israeli settlers constructed a 25 m2 chicken farm on a privately-owned Palestinian land belong to members of Subeih family, in Daher ‘Ein Natour area, near Al-Khader. The land in question (30 dunums area) is on a mountain that known as has no power or water supplies, and no road access where the settlers are using primitive means to transport water and other supplies to the land, which is 40 meters close the Daniel illegal settlement, and that the settlers will likely try to bring mobile homes in order to officially establish new illegal outpost in the site.
Arbitrary Demolition in Al-Makhrour
On the early morning of August 2, 2012, the Israeli occupation bulldozers accompanied by many Israeli Army vehicles stormed Al-Makhrour area west of Beit Jala city in the northern parts of Bethlehem Governorate and started without prior notification to demolish a restaurant owned by Ramzi Nakhleh Qesiyeh, 40 m2 structure owned by Khader Judeh Jacob Khalilieh and a barracks owned by Jeries Fouad Mina Qasasfeh/Zeidan in addition to a structure owned by George Khalilieh. It is worth mentioning that this was the second time the Israeli bulldozers demolished the aforementioned structures where the first demolition took place in December 13, 2012, while the restaurant demolished for the first time on May 3, 2012. See Photos
Al-Makhrour is an area located in the southwestern part of the city of Beit Jala north of Bethlehem Governorate. It is bordered by Al-Walajeh village as well as the illegal Israeli settlement of Har Gilo from the north, Al-Khader village from the south, Battir and Husan villages from the west, Beit Jala city from the east. According to the latest revised route of the Segregation Wall published on the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s website on April 30, 2007; Al-Makhrour area along with Husan, Al -Walajeh, Nahalin, Wadi Fukin, Al- Jab’a, Khallet ‘Afana, Khallet Al Balluta, and Beit Sakariya communities (pop exceeding +23000) will be set in an enclave and in isolation from the main cities and centers of life in Bethlehem governorate (Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour).
To read more about the targeting of Al-Makhrour area refer to the previously written case study: What is behind the Accelerated Targeting of Al-Makhrour Area west of the City of Beit Jala? 04, May, 2012.
Colonial Road in Teqou East of Bethlehem Governorate
On July 31, 2012, the Israeli Army bulldozers razed a Palestinian land owned by the residents of Teqou’ village east of Bethlehem Governorate. In an interview with ARIJ field workers, Teqou Municipality Director, Mr. Tayseer Abu Mfareh, indicated that the Israeli settlers along with the Israeli Army bulldozers stationed in a 10 dunums piece of land located nearby the illegal outpost of Roman and started to raze the land to construct a road to be used by the Israeli settlers to link the aforementioned out post with the adjacent illegal settlement of Teqou.
Mr. Abu Mfareh also added that the targeted lands owned by the residents ‘Ali Khalaf Jibreen, Ibrahim Dakhlallah Jadou’ and Daoud Az-Zir where all of them have ownership documents (Tabo). See Photo 4:
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Photos 5 & 6 : the building of new housing units in the settlement of Teqou’ – August 2012
The Besieged Village of Azzun Al-‘Atma
On July 28, 2012,
the Israeli Occupation Army stationed in Bir Ash- Shilla area southwest of Azzun Al-‘Atma village south of Qalqilya Governorate and started to install 2km long security fence stretches through Azzun lands starting from Oranit settlement and spreads along Kufur Qasem Road and reaches the bypass road No. 505 (Trans Samarya). In an interview with ARIJ field workers Mr. Abdel Karim Ayyoub the secretary of Azzun Al-‘Atma village council he clarified that Israel and by installing this fence are completing the isolation of the village where it is totally isolated by the Segregation Wall, while the area isolated behind the fence exceeds 1000 dunums in addition to an artesian well located in the site used by the village farmers to irrigate their agriculture lands. See Photo 7 & 8:
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Photos 7 & 8: The fence installed southeast of Azzun Al ‘Atma village
According to the latest revised route of the Segregation Wall route issued by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in April, 2007, the 14 km length Segregation Wall will encircle Azzun Al-‘Atma village from all directions and trap it in an enclave where the only access (in / out) of the village will be through an electronic gate opened daily on specific hours. Moreover, the Segregation Wall in Azzun Al-‘Atma village will result in the isolation of 9,650 dunums (73%) from Azzun Al-‘Atma, Beit Amin and Sniriya (Sniriya cluster). Moreover, the Israeli occupation Army issued two military orders holding numbers (78/06/T) and (14/07/T) in the years 2006 and 2007 confiscating 405.5 dunums from Sniriya cluster for building the Segregation Wall. See the map below:
Azzun Al-‘Atma……. Location & Population
Azzun Al-‘Atma is a Palestinian village located about 3 km east of the Green Line (Armistice Line of 1949), and about 8.5 km southeast of Qalqilyah city. The village is inhabited by 2126 residents (PCBS 2010). Azzun Al-‘Atma’s lands extend from Beit Amin village in the north, to Al Zawiya village in the south as well as from the Green Line (Armistice Line 1949) in the west to the vicinity of Sniriya village in the east. However, ‘Azzun ‘Atma village is located within Sniriya village cluster which includes Sniriya, Beit Amin and ‘Azzun ‘Atma villages with a total area of 13,270 dunums. To read more about the targeting of Azzun Al-‘Atma village refer to the previously written case study: The Israeli Mass Destruction Bulldozers razed hundreds of dunums in Azzun Al-‘Atma village to build the Segregation Wall .14, December, 2011.
One Billion NIS for 2012 Settlements Bill
On August 2, 2012, the Israeli daily newspaper “Yehidot Aharanot” revealed on the budget allocated by the Israeli government for the development of the Israeli settlements that exceed one Billion NIS. According to the newspaper which get the data from what is called “Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics”, the aforementioned budget is NIS 1, 059,988,790 with a steadily increase despite the fact that the number of settlers constitute only 4% from the total residents of “Israel”. Moreover and in the year 2011, the allocations for the Israeli settlements increased by 30% while the settler’s growth in the illegal settlements recorded as 5% according to the Israeli standards. The newspaper added that the allocations for the Israeli settlers and settlements are unjustified in compared with the number of settlers while for the year 2012 they get 13 % for construction in the education sector, 11% from the agriculture sector and 51.1 % from the trading and commerce sector.
Actually the published datum by the Israeli newspaper reflects the approach of the current right-wing Israeli Government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu which insist to move forward with its unilateral colonial project in the oPt, where the billions allocated for the expansion and the development of the illegal settlements in West bank and East Jerusalem are in fact eliminate the peace process and proves that there is no Israeli Partner in peace while all of the Israeli commitments for peace are not more than mere propaganda to deceive the world and International community with their evasive “negotiations game” which are used by the Israeli government to manipulation and gaining time to resolve the settlement battle on the ground.
Settlements Must Always Come First……. Netanyahu’s Motto
On August 7, 2012 the Israeli Parliament “Knesset” appropriates funds for the illegal settlements in the oPt; where the “Knesset Finance Committee” approved funds amounting to NIS 11 million ($ 2.76 Million) where NIS 8.3 million allocated for settlements relocations while NIS 2.7 for settlements infrastructure. Furthermore what is so-called “Israeli Civil Administration” had granted NIS 12.4 million ($3.15 million) for the employment of officers and inspectors across the West Bank. In addition to NIS 5 million ($ 1.26 million) were allocated to “Hesder Yeshiva” organization of Talmudic studies and another NIS 2 Million ($500.000) for “security measures” in the West Bank settlements.
It is worth mentioning that the bill was a result for a deal between two right-wing Israeli parties in the Knesset (Likud and Habayt Hayehudi).
Ulpana Outpost …….from Illegal outpost to Legal Settlement
On August 3, 2012,
Netzan Allon, the “Israeli Commander of the Israeli Occupation Army in the Center” approved a plan to expand the master plan (area for the settlement allocated for the future expansion) for the illegal settlement of Beit ‘Il as a part of a deal sealed between the Israeli settlers of Ulpana outpost in Beit ‘Il settlement and the Israeli government in April 2012, to evacuate 30 houses in the outpost and relocated them in another adjacent site and building 200 new housing units to accommodate them and dozens of settlers family in the new site.
Ulpana is an illegal Israeli outpost established in the year 1995 outside the Israeli boundaries of the illegal settlement of Beit Il. The outpost located about 200 meters north east of Beit Il settlement on a hilltop called Jabal Artis owned by Palestinian residents from Ramallah Governorate. On the year 2002, herd of Israeli settlers along with their families started to expand the outpost where until now there are more than 30 housing units (built by cement and stone) with other facilities. According to ‘Sasson report’2, Ulpana outpost was classified illegal and must be dismantled instead of being supported by the Israeli authorities, where according to the aforementioned report the outpost received 4.5 million NIS from the Israeli Ministry of Housing and Construction. Ulpana outpost set for the demolition by April 2012. See map 2:
New Tenders for 232 Housing Units
On August 3. 2012, “Israel Land Administration” issued a tenders to build 180 new housing units in the illegal Israeli settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev north of the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem in addition to another 27 housing units in the settlement of Bitar ‘Elit west of Bethlehem Governorate. Moreover, the Israeli Ministry of Housing and Construction issued tenders to build new 25 housing units (out of 900 units previously approved) in the settlement of Har Homa south of the city of Jerusalem and north of Bethlehem Governorate.
Ethnic Cleansing for Military Purposes!!!
On July 24, 2012, the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered the demolition of eight Palestinian villages in the South Hebron Hills because the territory is needed for Israel Defense Forces training, according to a letter from the Israeli government to the Israeli High Court of Justice. The residents of the targeted villages will be moved to the town of Yatta and its environs; most of these people have permanent homes in that area. The state will allow the residents to work their lands and graze their flocks there when the IDF is not training — on weekends and Jewish holidays – and during two other periods of one month each during the year. Barak agreed to leave four villages that are in the northernmost part of the area, even though this would reduce the dimensions of training area and prevent the use of live fire. The villages slated for demolition are the larger villages in the region: Majaz, Tabban, Sfai, Fakheit, Halaweh, Mirkez, Jinba, and Kharuba, which have a total of 1,500 residents. The villages to be spared are Tuba, Mufaqara, Sarura and Megheir al-Abeid, which have a total of 300 residents. The IDF and the Civil Administration regard all of them as squatters in Firing Zone 918, even though the villages have existed since at least the 1830s. It’s worth pointed that the evacuation orders were issued against the 12 villages in 1999, but were frozen by a decision issued by the High Court of Justice in response to two petitions submitted by 200 families and owners of the targeted lands.
The Eviction Order………….. Semantics and Timing
As a meter of fact the Israeli Defense Minister decision to eradicate an entire 13 communities in south of Hebron Governorate came in consistent with a previous statement for him in May 30, 2012 at Herzliya Conference when he revealed on an Israeli attitude toward a selective and unilaterally withdrawal from “areas not of strategic importance” in the West Bank (Area C), in an attempt to deceive the International Community and to get rid from the recipe “Occupying Power”, while the suspicious Israeli declaration carries more serious and colonial dimensions, where the Palestinian communities would be trapped within an enclaves and islands isolated by the Wall and settlement blocs with few security and borders privileges, and that what the Israelis suggested at the early stages of the peace process which is to grant the Palestinian incomplete sovereignty as an “ Autonomous Territory”, which mainly aims to the elimination of any chance for reaching a just and durable peace agreement based on 1967 borders and “Two State Solution”.
Is this a Scenario for Returning to 2004 Wall Route?
In a geopolitical analysis for the targeted area south of Heron Governorate, a legitimate question raised ….. Is the eviction of the 13 communities an initial step toward looting more Palestinian lands by returning o the Wall route of 2004? The geopolitical status of the situation in the targeted area shows that after the eradication of the 13 Palestinian communities, a new reality imposed itself on the ground, where if Ehud Barak decided to adopt the 2004 Segregation Wall route four Israeli settlements ( Ma’on, Karmi’el, Susya and Mizadot Yehuda “ Beit Yatir” along with more than 100,000 dunums (100 km2 ) of lands from would be in the Israeli side of the Wall , so is the eviction of the 13 communities came because the lack of places for military training of Barak want to practice his hobby to loot the Palestinian lands and rights? See map 3:
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Map 4: The Israeli Segregation Wall, June 2004
Demolition Orders for 13 Wells in Kfur Dan Village West of Jenin
On August 26, 2012, Israeli officers from the Israeli Civil Administration along with officers from what is known by “Israel Water Authority” accompanied by Israeli Army Forces stationed in Marj Ben ‘Amer area in Kfur Dan village west of Jenin and started photographing 13 artesian wells in the area. Mr. Bilal Mar’i, the head of Kfur Dan village council indicated that after they finishing photographing the wells they notified the owners their intention to demolish them as soon as possible. More than that Mr. Mar’i added that the Israeli Army assaulted the head of the Irrigation Organization in the village (Mohammad Fahmi Mar’i) and arrested the resident Abdullah ‘Ali Mar’i. The owners of the threatened wells are:-
1. Subhi Mohammad Mar’i | 2. Mustapha ‘Ashour ‘Abed |
3. Mohammad Mahfouz Mar’i | 4. Omar Saleh ‘Abed |
5. Tareq Al-Sa’di | 6. ‘Allam Mohammad Mar’i |
7. Ahmad Subhi ‘Abed | 8. Baha’ Nader Mar’i |
9. Mahmoud Hardan ‘Abahre | 10. Mohammad Hasan Jabbarin |
11. Ahmad Sabri ‘Abed | 12.Mohammad Fahmi Mar’i |
12. Mohammad ‘Ali Mar’i | |
Source: Kfur Dan Village Council | |
Israel plays Tricks Game with the Jerusalemites……Small key checkpoint substituted with large Terminal…….. While the goal is to Manipulate the Demography of the Occupied City
On August 27, 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Defense dismantled security cameras and other installations from “Ras Khamis” key checkpoint north of the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem after it has been substituted with “Shu’fat Terminal” in a step that would subsidize the suffering of more than 60,000 Palestinian Jerusalemites.
The story started in the year 2005, when the Israeli Ministry of Defense revealed on its intention to build “Shu’fat terminal” as an alternative for Ras Khamis key checkpoint south of Shu’fat Refugee camp north of Jerusalem city, where the consequences of that Israeli unilateral step were catastrophic because the residents of Shu’fat refugee camp (+16,000) as well as the residents of Shu’fat, Ras Shedadeh, Ras Khamis and Dahiet Al-Salam neighborhoods, that cut off from the city by the Segregation Wall, (all together their residents exceed 60,000 ) would obligated to use the only terminal – de facto choice – to reach the city. Accordingly the residents of the aforementioned neighborhoods submitted a petition to the “Israeli High Court of Justice” through “The association of the Civil Rights in Israel – ACRI” and in the year 2008 the court issued its ruling which in turn demanded the Defense Ministry to equip the proposed terminal with eight pedestrian crossings and four crossings for vehicles before closing Ras Khamis checkpoint.
Actually the consequences of closing Ras Khamis checkpoint go beyond physical and psychological suffering while it substantially affect the residents freedom of movement right while undermining their rights to earn a living , medical care, learning, visit holly places and relatives which constitute a grave breach for the international law rules and humanitarian basic rights. See the map and the picture below:
Legal & International Status
The Israeli unilateral colonial activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are taking place on the ground in a systematic manner and sponsored by the Israeli extremist government headed by Netanyahu despite the fact that all aspect of the Israeli colonial and expansionist activities constitute a grave breach for the International law rules and conventions:
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949: ‘the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the Territory it occupies.’
The Forth Geneva Convention in Article 174 also prohibits the ‘extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.’
The Roadmap of Peace signed on April 30, 2003, between Israel and the Palestinians (originally developed by the United States, in cooperation with Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations (the Quartet)) under which the Israeli Government agreed to freeze all settlement, indicated that: The -Government of Israel- immediately dismantles settlement outposts erected since March 2001, and, consistent with the Mitchell Report, [Government of Israel] freezes all settlement activity (including natural growth of settlements).The plan was adopted by the USCR 1515-2003.
Article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo agreement Israel is forbidden from building or planning to any project or settlements 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’
In May 2001, the head of the International Red Cross delegation to Israel and the Occupied Territories said that settlements are ‘equal in principle to war crimes’. (Note: ‘The transfer, the installation of population of the occupying power into the occupied territories is considered as an illegal move and qualified as a ‘grave breach.’ It’s a grave breach, formally speaking, but grave breaches are equal in principle to war crimes’, Rene Kosirnik, head of the ICRC delegation to Israel and the OPT, press conference 17 May 2001.)
UNSCR 242, adopted in November 22, 1967: Calls on Israel to withdraw from the all of the Territory it occupied in its aggression on June 5, 1967.
Also United Nation Security Council Resolution No. 446 of 1979 calls on Israel to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories’
Also UNSCR No. 452 of 1979 ‘calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.’
Moreover ,UNSCR No. 465 of 1980 ‘called upon Israel to stop building in the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and to dismantle all of the Israeli settlements built in the aforementioned territories since the year 1967, and demanding all of the state parties of the UN not to help Israel in building these Illegal settlements’.
Moreover 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.
Also under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, 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.
In the year 2004 the United Nations Security Council called on Israel to stop demolition of Palestinian homes under Resolution No. 1544-(2004), the resolution states: ‘The Security Council called on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly the obligation not to undertake home demolitions contrary to that law’.
‘Article 12’ of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.
Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State
