The page of 2014 turned over with dozens of Israeli violations that took place in the West Bank; including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.
Certainly, 2014, was the year of colonial and settlement expansion in which significant Israeli expansionist and colonial plans attained with a prospective, substantial and tangible consequences overshadowing the geopolitical situation in all parts of the oPt.
Obviously, the compelling Israeli plans and measures that was taken in the oPt , would lead to a de facto alteration over the demographic, political, geopolitical and even societal circumstances in the Territory.
Apparently, the year 2015 will not be different from the last year. So far, Israel started the year 2015 with accelerated violations against the Palestinians and their properties. During the month of January 2015, the Israeli occupation authorities, side by side, with the herds of the Israeli settlers lunched a methodic and aggressive attacks against the Palestinian residents.
The Israeli Ministry of Housing and Construction headed by “Uri Ariel” ( Jewish Home Party, ultranationalist, living the illegal settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim ) issued tenders for the construction of 450 housing units in several settlements in West Bank. The tenders included the construction of 102 units in Kiryat Arba (Hebron governorate), 114 housing units in the settlement of Adam (Giv’at Benjamin) south of Ramallah, 156 units in Elkana settlement (west of Salfit governorate), and 78 units in the settlement of Alfe Menshi (east of Qalqilya governorate), and 93 housing units in Gilo settlement (south of Jerusalem city).
During early January 2015, the Israeli Occupation Army stormed and searched dozens of Palestinian houses and structures in several areas in the West Bank, arrested tens of Palestinians; children, women and elders.
Moreover ,the demolition campaign continued during the month of January, included the demolishing of 44 Palestinian houses and about 16 commercial structures and animal sheds. See the chart 1 below:
Chart 1: No. of demolished Palestinian houses / structures during the month of January
However, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed over 73 military orders to demolish or halt the construction for dozens of Palestinian houses and structures. See the chart 2 below:
Chart 2: No. of military orders that targeted the Palestinian houses/structures during January
Also, and throughout the month of January 2015, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued orders stating the confiscation of 500 dunums of Palestinian lands in Hebron governorate, south of the West Bank, under the pretext of the targeted land classified by the Israeli Authorities as “State land”.
The Palestinian trees and plants also, get part from the Israeli settlers violence and Israeli army violations, where 5,655 trees were destroyed, cut and uprooted in the West Bank, of which about 5,020 trees (89% of the total number of uprooted trees) were in Ramallah governorate. See chart 3 below:
Chart 3: No. of uprooted/destroyed trees in the oPt during January 2015
In point of fact, the number of Israeli settlers attacks against Palestinians in several areas in the West Bank; included Jerusalem city, reached to 58 attacks, varied between physically assaults, land razing and leveling, uprooting trees, attacking Palestinian properties and holy sites. See chart 4 below:
Chart 4: No. of Israeli settlers’ attacks in the oPt during January 2015
It’s worth to mentioning that significant number of the Israeli settlers’ attacks were against the holy and archaeological sites, with 17 attacks ( 30% from the total number of attacks). See chart 5 below:
Chart 5: No. & Type of settlers attacks during January 2015
Detailed Israeli violations in the oPt/ Palestinian Governorate:-
- Bethlehem Governorate:
In January 2015, several Israeli violations took place in Bethlehem governorate by the Israeli Occupation Army and the Israeli settlers living in the nearby illegal Israeli settlements in Bethlehem governorate. These violations varied between storming and searching Palestinian houses and structures , arresting and detaining dozens of Palestinian civilians. Furthermore, clashes erupted between Palestinians and the Israeli Occupation Army in several areas, causing dozens of injuries. As 90 trees were destroyed in Bethlehem governorate, 4 agricultural barracks and animal sheds demolished in Husan village, west of Bethlehem governorate.
Additionally, the Israeli Occupation bulldozers, razed 33 dunums of Palestinian land, of which 30 dunums were razed in Khallit An-Nahla area, south of Bethlehem city, to construct a colonial road linking between the Israeli illegal outpost of “Giv’at Eitam” and the Israeli settlement of “Efrat”. A step to establish a new colonial neighborhood as a part of the expansion plan of Efrat settlement, which it is part of Gush Etzion settlement bloc, west of Bethlehem governorate.
- Jerusalem Governorate:
Since the incident of abduction and kill of the Palestinian boy “ Mohammad Abu Khdeir”, that carried out by the Israeli settlers in July 2014, Jerusalem city had witnessed a large scale and violent clashes with the Israeli Occupation Authorities. Thus, considerable Israeli racist policies and procedures were taken against the Palestinians and their properties, distributed between storming , searching fining and destruction.
The Israeli authorities demolished 6 Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem While the Israeli settlers have escalated their attacks against the Palestinians and their holy sites and properties, where 21 attacks carried out by the Israeli settlers in the governorate during the month of January.
It’s important to motion that during January 2015, the Israeli Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court, issued a final decision prevented the evacuation of Israeli settlers from a Palestinian building in the Jerusalemite town of Silwan, where the building was occupied by a herd of Israeli settlers in the last year.
- Hebron governorate:
Several Israeli violations took place in Hebron Governorate. The Israeli Occupation Authorities issued a military order to expropriate 500 dunums of Palestinian lands in Beit Ula town, northwest of Hebron Governorate. Also, on the 15th of January 2015, the Israeli Occupation Army installed a fence around 2000 dunums of Palestinian land in Surif village, northwest of Hebron city, in preliminary step toward the confiscation of the land in the near future.
Moreover, the Israeli Army uprooted and razed 375 trees; of which 300 trees (80% ) were destroyed in “Masafir Yatta” community ( located to the eastern part of Yatta town, south of Hebron Governorate).
The Israeli settlers living in the Israeli illegal settlements in Hebron Governorate, carried out 11 attacks against Palestinians and their properties. Precedent for the first time of its kind in Hebron governorate, what is so-called of “the Municipality of Kiryat Arba settlement”, delivered the resident Mr. Abed Al-Karim Al-Ja’bari an order asking him to pay NIS 88,200 as “property tax” (Arnona) for his land which located mid of Kiryat Arba settlement and in the illegal outpost of “Giv’at Ha’avout” in the center of Hebron city.
The Municipality of Kiryat Arba also informed Mr. Al-Ja’bari, the owner of the land, that if he delayed the paying, the amount of the tax will be doubled, and at the end his land would be confiscated! It is worth pointed that the targeted land constitute an enticing target for Kiryat Arba due to the strategic location of the land that considered a geographic link between the Israeli settlements and outpost in the area.
- Ramallah Governorate:
The Israeli settlers living in the illegal settlements in Ramallah Governorate, particularly nearby Turmus’ayya village carried out brutal crime against trees, where they cut around 5,000 olive seedlings out of the total 5,020 trees that were uprooted in the Governorate in the month of January . Also ,Ramallah Governorate also, witnessed many of attacks against Palestinians and their property, where the Israeli Occupation Army issued 12 demolition orders targeted houses in Kharbatha Bani Harith village.
The Israeli Defense Minister, “Moshe Ya’alon” approved to divert $18million from defense budget to expand the illegal settlement of Beit El settlement, which occupied land in Ramallah governorate, by adding 300 housing units in the settlement.
- Tubas governorate:
Tubas governorate located northeast of the West Bank and it’s a part of the Jordan Valley area. It constitutes a focal point in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict, where the Israeli Occupation Authorities seeks to keep their control over these areas in any future peace agreement with the Palestinians.
The Jordan Valley area rich in various natural resources and a strategic reserve in landscape for agricultural and urban expansion purposes. However, the Palestinians residents of the northern parts of Jordan valley, lived in a very difficult conditions, because of the practices of the Israeli Occupation Authorities against them which is actually pushing them toward voluntary leaving form their lands.
During January, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed over dozens of Palestinian families military orders to evacuate their houses, structures and land for one day or more, to allow the Israeli Army to carry out military trainings in these areas. The Israeli Army used live ammunition during these trainings, which destroyed the soil, as well as there are a number of remnants of these trainings do not explode directly, which threat the lives of Palestinians mainly children.
The Israeli Occupation Authorities also, razed and destroyed a water line pipes (1000 meters length) funded by the French Governorate, linking between ‘Atuf community and Khirbet Yarza in the northern parts or Jordan Valley.
- Gaza strip:
Despite of the signed truce between the Palestinian factions in Gaza strip and the Israeli Occupation Authorities after the end of the war against Gaza strip in August 2014, the Israeli government did not committed to the truce, where they daily attacked Palestinians alongside of the border between Gaza strip and Israel.
Therefore, Palestinians living near the “Seam zone” facing daily suffering from the Israeli violations against them. The Israeli Army opened fire at residents, their land and houses. Also the Israeli bulldozers escorted by the Israeli Army staged into several areas at the eastern parts of the Gaza strip and razed agriculture lands.
Even more, Gazans fishermen suffering from the Israeli violations and tightening, where the Israeli navy and gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats while they were sailing at Gaza strip shores, despite the fact that did not exceed 6 miles “fishing zone” identified by the aforementioned truce agreement.
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
