Violation: Turning more than 120 dunums in an agricultural area to a colonial residential area
Location: Silwad and Deir Jarir villages- Ramallah governorate
Date: 17/03/2013
Perpetrators: The Supreme Planning Council of the Israeli occupation
Victims: 20 families
Details:
The so-called Supreme Planning Council has disclosed a detailed schematic aims at transforming no less than 150 dunums of Silwad and Deir Jarir agricultural lands into a residential area classified A that has all the facilities needed to serve "Ofra" colony built on the lands of the 2 mentioned villages for expanding the colony by building new residential units. According to the announcement, the targeted area is known as "Shbekat" and is within basins number (17), (18), and (20) of isolated Silwad land in the circumference of "Ofra" colony. The lands in the area belong to about 20 families in Silwad and Yabrod in Ramallah. The lands belong to:
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No.
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Name
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No.
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Name
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1
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Ahmad Hamed
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11
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Shukri Al-Sheikh
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2
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Yousef Al-Zaydieh
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12
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Hussein Al-Khatieb
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3
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Zainab Al-Hamad
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13
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Subhi Al-Hamed
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4
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Mahmoud Rajeh
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14
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Yousef Al-Zaydieh
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5
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Tawfiq Al-Ali
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15
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Mohammed Al-Hamad
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6
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Nimer Al-Ali
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16
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Ayesh Al-Hamad
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7
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Harb Hussein Harb
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17
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Yousef Al-Zaydieh
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8
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Ali Abdul Hadi
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18
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Hamad Al-Hamed
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9
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Abdul Latif Ayyad
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19
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Abdul Aziz Al-Hamed
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10
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Abdul Karim Ayyad
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20
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Issa Al-Hamed
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*Source: Field Research- Monitoring Israeli Violations Team- Land Research Centre (LRC).
Head of Silwad Municipality told an LRC observer that," This is an old Israeli schematic that has got renewed. They want to take over vast areas of Silwad and nearby villages to expand ‘Ofra’ colony. This is all illegal since the targeted area is registered in the Jordanian Tabu registry and we have all the deeds and documents that prove our ownership of the lands Israel is trying to seize." Even after the Israeli Supreme Court ordered to dismantle the wall surrounding "Ofra" colony, colonists cling to it and the Israeli army procrastinates in executing the ruling:
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Pictures 2-4: The lands devoured by the wall of "Ofra"
Despite the ruling of the Israeli Supreme Court to dismantle the wall surrounding "Ofra" colony which devours about 2000 dunums of Deir Jarir and Silwad, the Israeli army procrastinates in deconstructing it. The wall was built in 2006. From that day on, farmers have been deprived from taking advantage of their agricultural lands or even having access to them. After many court sessions, the Israeli Supreme Court decided that the wall be dismantled for it is built with no justifiable reasons and on Palestinians’ lands. The decision was received with objection and plea from the colonists and procrastination in execution by the Israeli occupation army which has not done anything since the ruling of the court on 14/03.
"Ofra" was built in 1975, in east northern Ramallah on 900-dunum lands confiscated from Silwad and Yabrod. It has many facilities such as schools, kindergartens, gym, library, post office, electronics company, cow farm, petrol station among others. 3100 colonists live in Ofra as far as 2009.
