- Details: Uprooting trees and carrying out excavations
- Date: 05/01/2014
- Location: Parcels (52,53) of basin (34416)- Tel Rumeida- Hebron
- Perpetrators: The Israeli Ministry of Antiquities
- Victims: Abu Haikal family
Details:
On January 05, 2014, the Israeli occupation authorities razed an agricultural land and uprooted the planted trees in preparation for building an outpost in its place. Firyal Abu Haikal stated to an LRC observer that the ravaged land is 3 dunums Rateb Abu Haikal family is responsible for planting.
In 1984, the Israeli occupation founded the outpost of Ramat Yishai near the mentioned piece of land in Tel Rumeida. Colonists have been attacking the trees in the two parcels under the pretext that they hinder the expansion of the outpost.
In 2001, Abu Haikal family filed a complaint to the Israeli police about the colonists' assaults on their houses and lands they rent. The police fenced the two pieces of land for protection and stalled a gate at each piece. They told Abu Haikal that they would give them keys of the gates but they did not. Instead, they declared the area a closed military zone under the pretext that it is an archaeological site to which civilian residents are denied access. However, colonists managed to break the locks of the gates and entered the lands where they damaged the trees. The situation did not change until the end of 2013.
On 31/12/2013, the Israeli Ministry of Antiquities and the Civil Administration fixed the fence surrounding piece No. (52) without informing the family of Abu Haikal.
On 05/01/2013, a force of the Israeli occupation army, police and Civil Administration put warning signs around the fence and another sign that read: "The Ministry of Antiquities- Excavations". They then brought a bulldozer, container, caravan and mobile bathrooms and stalled them on the land. The bulldozer embarked on ravaging the trees to which the family of Abu Haikal protested. The Israeli soldiers sprayed them with pepper gas and informed them to go away since excavations were taking place. Firyal Abu Haikal asserted that the Israeli bulldozers uprooted 45 almond trees and 5 grapevines.
Pictures 2+3: The warning signs placed by the Israeli authorities
Next day, on 06/01/2014, 20 workers with manual drilling tools as well as architects and surveyors under the protection of the Israeli occupation army and police came to the place where they delineate the piece of land.
Pictures 4-6: The drilling and digging work in the targeted land
Abu Haikal family is afraid that the Israeli authorities will erect a new outpost in the area. They filed a complaint to the Israeli police while the digging work is still in action until the moment of writing this report.
Pictures 7-8: The complaint receipt
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
