Violation: Issuing a stop-work order on a fence around a piece of agricultural land
Location: Khirbet Umm al Khair- Yatta/ Hebron governorate
Date: 01/06/2014
Perpetrators: The Israeli Civil Administration
Victims: People of al Hathalin family
Details:
On June 01, the Israeli authorities sent an order to stop the construction of a fence surrounding a piece of agricultural land planted with olive and almond trees in Khirbet Umm al Khair, east of Yatta in the West Bank city of Hebron. Bilal al Hathalin pointed out that officers of the Civil Administration broke into his land where they placed the order before leaving.
Picture 1: The stop-work order on the fence
Al Hathalin asserted that offices of the Civil Administration accompanied by the Israeli army broke into the land one week before serving the family the order.
The order demanded immediate halt of construction under the pretext of lacking a building permit and set 02/07/2014 for a meeting of the Inspection Sub-Committee to be held in Beit El colony to decide "whether to demolish the structure or return it to its previous status."
The people of the Khirbet informed Ghiath Nasser, a lawyer specialized in defending threatened houses and structures, in order to object the stop-work order.
The targeted piece of land is located east of Khirbet Umm al Khair and belongs to al Hathalin family. It should be mentioned that the colony of Karmiel is only a few meters away from the land and people's houses in the Khirbet.
Pictures 2-5: The fence and targeted land
Picture 6: A side view of Khirbet Umm al Khair
The inhabitants consider the orders issued by the Israeli authorities a means aiming to force them out in order to create a room for the colonies to expand. Back to the fence, it was built to protect a recently reclaimed piece of land through "Work for Money" Program, funded by the United Nations.
Al- Hathalin planted the 16-dunum piece of land with olive and almond trees as well as cactus.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
