Israeli Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory – March 2015

On March 17, 2015 The 20th Knesset elections was held with 65% seats reaped by right-wing and religious extremist parties. While negotiations in process to form the 34th Israeli Government, the Israeli Occupation authorities moving steadily with its colonial and expansionist plans in all parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory including the eastern part of the city  of Jerusalem.

During March 2015, the Israeli violations against the Palestinians and their properties in several areas in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza strip, did not stopped. Where the Israeli Occupation Authorities and Israeli settlers intensified their attacks against the Palestinians. For that, in March 2015, the Israeli Army and settlers violation increased, in addition to new colonial projects that get the approval from the Israeli Authorities, where these project affected negatively all the International efforts to resume the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.

Also, the Israeli Army stormed and searched houses and structures in several areas, towns and cities the West Bank (Area A), where the Israeli Army also, arrested dozens of Palestinians, which increased the number of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails. Moreover , clashes had erupted between Palestinians and the Israeli Occupation Army in several areas in the oPt.

In Gaza strip, the Israeli Authorities did not stopped the breach of the truce, where, during March 2015, the Gaza strip, daily, exposure to several violations from the Israeli Occupation Army, where the Israeli Army opened fire at Palestinian farmers once they tried to reach their land near the border fences, at the eastern part of Gaza strip.

The Israeli Navy and gunboats, did not stopped their attacks, where they opened fire at the Palestinian fishing boats while they were sailing at Gaza strip shores, noted that they did not beyond the 3 miles. In additional to that the Israeli Authorities controlled over the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza strip.

The Gaza Strip is still suffering the effects of the recent war on it (August 2014), where hundreds of Palestinian families living in the open-air, as a result of the Israeli prolonged procedures restricting the flow of construction materials to Gaza strip to begin the process of rebuilding what had been destroyed by the recent war on Gaza.

In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli violations varied from confiscating and razing lands, demolishing houses and structures, uprooting and destroying trees, and issuance of military orders to demolish houses and structures. Furthermore, the Israeli settlers attacks systematically escalated and varied between storming Holy sites, uprooting trees, razing land, storming houses and properties in addition to the  establishment of new outpost, by installing mobile houses in Palestinian lands. Table No.1, showed the Israeli violations against Palestinians during March 2015:

While, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued 11 military orders to confiscate about 58 dunums of Palestinian land, these orders were examined between Nablus and Hebron Governorates. The Israeli Authorities claimed that the targeted lands classified as “State land”. Noted that these orders included the demolished structures and uprooted trees in the land, so in total these order targeted about 1205 trees to be uprooted. 

Uprooting & Destruction of more than 2000 trees

The Israeli Occupation Authorities and the Israeli settlers who live in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, destroyed and uprooted about 2215 trees, varied between olive, almond and citrus trees.

 It’s worth pointed that the most Palestinian Governorates affected by the uprooting and destroying trees was Hebron Governorate, with about 1420 trees were destroyed, then Nablus Governorate, with 650 trees were uprooted. See the chart 1 below:

Concerning the demolition of Palestinian houses and structures, the Israeli Occupation bulldozers demolished 37 houses and about 24 structures. Noted that the Israeli Authorities claimed that the demolition operation targeted houses and structures located in Area “C”; according to Oslo agreement for the year 1995, Area C: under the Israeli full control,  and build without getting the permissions from the Israeli Civil Administration.

 It’s important to mention that Tubas governorate was the most affected by this violation, where 21 residential structures and 3 others structures were demolished during March 2015.  See chart 2 below:

Also, the Israeli Occupation Authorities desire to targeting the Palestinian live hood has no limits,  where beside the demolishing of the houses and structures, the Israeli Army  also issued military orders to demolish houses and structures. During March 2015, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued orders that targeted 52 Palestinian houses and structures in several areas in the occupied West Bank, where in Hebron Governorate, the Israeli Authorities issued order to demolish 30 houses and structures. In Bethlehem Governorate, the Israeli demolition orders targeted 12 houses and structures. It’s worth pointed  that the Israeli Occupation Authorities claimed that these orders targeted houses and structures build without proper authorization , from what is so-called the Israeli Civil Administration. See chart 3 below:

61 attacks carried out by the Israeli settlers during March 2015

Concerning the Israeli settlers attacks, the Israeli settlers intensified their attacks against the Palestinians and their properties, where during March 2015, the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem- ARIJ, documented 61 attacks in several cities and towns in the occupied Palestinian Territory. Most of these attacks took place in Jerusalem Governorate with 25 attacks and in Hebron governorate with 17 attacks. See chart 4 below:

The type of the Israeli settlers attacks varied between storming holy sites, assaulting Palestinians, attacking Palestinian properties, uprooting trees, razing and occupying land to establish new illegal outpost. According to the analysis done by the Settlement Monitoring Department at ARIJ, the Israeli settlers attacks Palestinians and assaulting them (21 attacks during March) and storming Holy sites (20 attacks during March) .See chart 5 below:

According to these figures, the Israeli violations against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian Territory were escalated dramatically during the month of March 2015, where the majority of these attacks were as follows:-

Jerusalem Governorate:

Jerusalem governorate constitutes the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for that the Governorate had witnessed systematic and escalating attacks, conducted by the Israeli Occupation Authorities and the Israeli settlers living in the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Eastern part of Jerusalem.

The Israeli Authorities did not stopped Judaization the Holy city, also, they did not stopped published tenders and approved colonial plans for the purpose of changing the demographic status in Jerusalem city.  Where what is so-called “Israeli  Regional Committee for housing and planning in the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem” approved a plan to construct 46 housing units in the Israeli settlement of Ramot, which located north of Jerusalem city.

The Israeli Authorities also, opened a new “Police center” in the central of Palestinian neighborhoods in Silwan town in Jerusalem city.

Furthermore, the Israeli settlers escorted by the Israeli Occupation Army occupied 3 Palestinian houses located within a building in Wadi Al Hilwa neighborhood in Silwan town. Moreover, the occupation authorities occupied two pieces of lands (in total 1.5 dunums) in the aforementioned neighborhood, and two structures build by the Palestinians in the targeted aforementioned lands. Where we can noted from these attacks that the Israeli Occupation Authorities tried to change the facts on the ground in Silwan town, by pushing the Palestinians to leave their houses and land, and resettlement the settlers in return . Silwan town located south of Al-Aqsa mosque, constitute an important strategic for the Israeli Occupation Army and Israeli settlers as well.

Bethlehem Governorate ……. 142 new housing units

During the month of March 2015, the Israeli Occupation authorities targeted Bethlehem Governorate with several kind of attacks from Israeli settlers and Army. The Israeli Occupation Authorities issued military orders to demolish 12 Palestinian houses and structures. Also, the Israeli bulldozers razed 80 dunums of Palestinian land in Kisan village, southeast of Bethlehem city, the targeted land located at the western entrance of the village.

 As a matter of fact the targeted land located within a 600 dunums of land confiscated by the Israeli Authorities, and according to the information from the Israeli Civil Administration, declared that the targeted land (80 dunums) was sold to an Israeli settler who lives in the illegal Israeli settlement of Efrat, and he will construct an industrial zone.

On the other hand, the Israeli committee for Housing and planning in the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem approved the construction of 142 housing units in the Israeli settlement of Har Homa, which located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem governorate.

Uprooting 1420 trees and threatened to demolish 30 houses &  structures in Hebron Governorate

It seem that the Israeli occupation Authorities have not stopped their efforts to encroach on “Msafer Yatta” area, which located southeast of Hebron city, especially “Susiys village”, located east of Yatta town, south of Hebron governorate.

On the 29th of March 2015, Israel demanded the Israeli High Court of Justice to ratified the demolition order of  Khirbet Susiya, and to evacuate the residents from the village, based on an order issued by the Israeli Authorities in 2014 to demolish Khirbet Susiya, where Israel claims that the demolition of Khirbet Susiya  and displace its residents came because of the opportunity to expand the archaeological area…..

Although the Israeli Authorities expects the High Court of Justice to approve the demolition of Khirbet Susiya, and depopulate the residents, it in turn issued military orders to demolish up to 30 houses and structures in different parts of Hebron. Israel claims that the targeted houses, which are located in areas classified as " area C" and controlled by the Israeli occupation authorities, was built without a permit from the Israeli authorities.

Also, the Israeli occupation Authorities and Israeli settlers razed land and uprooted trees; where the Israeli settlers and Israeli Army cut about 1420 trees during March 2015. In additional to the military orders that issued by the Israeli Occupation Authorities to evacuate Palestinian lands and uproot trees, where they issued orders to evacuate, in total, 31.5 dunums of Palestinian land in Sa’ir town, north of Hebron city, where these orders also included the uprooting of 685 tress, which were planted by Palestinians in the targeted lands (31.5 dunums).

It’s worth mentioning that because of the Israeli Knesset elections, a number of Israeli ministers and Israeli settlers escorted by the Israeli Occupation Army had stormed and toured in the Ibrahimi mosque in the old city of Hebron while restricting the Palestinian visits to the holly site.

Uprooting 650 trees and established new Israeli outpost in Nablus Governorate

Nablus governorate is exposed, repeatedly, to attacks from the Israeli settlers and the Israeli Occupation Army, in additional to storming and searching Palestinian houses, and arresting tens of Palestinians, the Israeli Occupation Authorities also targeted the Governorate by confiscating their lands. In Nablus the Israeli Authorities issued military orders to confiscate 26.5 dunums from Qusra village, which located south of the city, and to uproot 520 trees, planted in the targeted lands, without excluding the operations of actual uprooting trees, where the Israeli Army uprooted 650 trees in several areas in Nablus Governorate.

Also, the Israeli Occupation bulldozers razed 100 dunums of Palestinian land in Salem village, east of Nablus city, and uprooted 300 trees from the same area. Obviously, the Israeli intentions behind targeting the area would serve the Israeli expansionist desires and specifically to expand the nearby illegal outpost of “Iskal”.

More than that, the Israeli settlers and escorted by the Israeli occupation authorities seized Palestinian land to create new outposts or to expand the existing ones, so that in March 2015, a herd of Israeli settlers occupied a strategic Palestinian hill in the village of Jalud, south of Nablus city, also they occupied another hill in ‘Urif village, south of Nablus city, installing 8 mobile homes on the aforementioned hill in ‘Urif.

The latest Israeli procedures in the Palestinian villages of Jalud and ‘Urif raises the concerns over a suspicious Israeli intentions to pave the way for the Israeli settlers to establish more outposts in the area and on the Palestinian hills in general then expanding them over the years to become an Israeli settlement with formal approval from the Israeli Government.

In conclusion, during the month of  March, the Palestinian areas had exposed to various types of attacks by the Israeli settlers and the Israeli Occupation Authorities. While the extremist right-wing parties suppose for form the upcoming government coalition, the Palestinians predicting a dramatic increase in all aspects of the Israeli colonial activities and in all parts of the oPt.

Prepared by:  
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem