Israeli military trainings conducted in the area of northern Jordan Valley over the past five years are considered an occupational means to create a de facto and to deface the geographical and demographical landmarks of place. This happens through targeting Bedouin communities by transforming their habitats into military training zones. Residents of the area get their structures, residences, barns and land affected by such practices. The occupation seeks to push these people out of their lands to create a room for colonial expansion in the area.
Accordion to the data of Palestine Ministry of Wall and Colonization Affairs by 2012, around 400,000 dunums out of 720,000 dunums from the total area of Jordan Valley was transformed into closed military zones. In addition, an area of 27,000 dunums was given to around 33 colonies in the area for the favor of their expansion.
The policy f military training goes on:
Since the beginning of 2015, the Israeli occupation army conducted 29 military maneuvers and trainings in the area, resulting in the eviction of 12 communities for certain periods of time. Not only that, financial and agricultural losses followed the residents of the targeted communities, not mentioning the psychological effect that reached out kids and women. The following table shows information about the trainings’ time and location schedule:
|
Location |
Families |
Date |
Time of training |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 135 members |
12/1/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 135 members |
20/1/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 135 members |
26/1/2015 |
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 135 members |
27/1/2015 |
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 135 members |
28/1/2015 |
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. |
|
Humsa Al-Fauqa hamlet |
6 families/ 135 members including 40 children |
27/1/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 130 members |
1/2/2015 |
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 130 members |
2/2/2015 |
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
17 families/ 130 members |
3/2/2015 |
8:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
10 families/ 100 members |
3/5/2015 |
2:30p.m. – 5:30p.m. |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
10 families/ 100 members |
6/5/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. |
|
Humsa Al-Fauqa hamlet |
10 families/ 80 members |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Ibziq hamlet |
10 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Al-Ras Al-Ahmar |
19 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Dhra’ Awwad |
5 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Al-Burj |
6 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Al-Meetih |
14 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Hammamat Al-Malih |
9 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Al-Hadidiya |
4 families |
3/5/2015- 9/5/2015 |
For six days |
|
Humsa |
10 families |
10/6/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 1:00 afternoon |
|
Humsa |
10 families |
16/6/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 1:00 afternoon |
|
Al-MalihAl-BurjAl-Meetih |
7 families18families 4 families |
11/6/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Al-MalihAl-BurjAl-Meetih |
7 families18families 4 families |
17/6/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Humsa |
13 families |
22/6/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Humsa |
13 families |
25/6/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Al-Ras Al-Ahmar |
15 families |
1/9/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Al-Ras Al-Ahmar |
15 families |
2/9/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Al-Ras Al-Ahmar |
15 families |
8/9/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
|
Al-Ras Al-Ahmar |
15 families |
9/9/2015 |
6:00 a.m.- 12:00 noon |
Source: Field observation- Department of Monitoring Israeli Violations- Land Research Center-2015
The following table shows information about the attacked areas in dunums:
|
Date |
Location |
Affected areadunums |
Remarks |
Reports by Land Research Center
|
|
27/04/2015 |
Humsa |
500 |
Hurling grenades into pastures |
(Eng) |
|
30/04/2015 |
Humsa |
50 |
Hurling grenades into pastures |
(Eng) |
|
30/04/2015 |
Al-Buqei’a |
14 |
Setting fire to pastures |
|
|
04/05/2015 |
Ras Busila, Al-Sodood, Ghubeishih and Al-Mukasar |
2800 |
Torching 300 dunums of wheat fields and 2500 dunums of pastures |
Source: Mutaz Bsharat |
|
19/05/2015 |
Al-Khallat and Al-Ras Al-Ahmar |
700 |
Torching pastures |
(Eng) |
|
19/05/2015 |
Um Al-Qiba |
2000 |
Torching pastures |
(Eng) |
|
Total |
6064 |
|
|
|
Source : Field observation- Department of Monitoring Israeli Violations- Land Research Center-2015
Victims of military leftovers: Bedouin and their kids
The Israeli occupation army intends to leave some leftovers after trainings in the areas. Some of which are tanks’ missiles and white phosphorus munitions. The Kid Braa’ Bani Oudeh found a strange item in Atuf area and took it back home in Tammun to explode in his hand. The kid sustained third degree burns and he now receives medical care at Rafidiya hospital.
Kid Ali al-Awad and his father on January 28, 2015 headed to the area of al-Tabqa, which is located nearby the colony of Maskiyyot to graze their sheep; curiosity led the boy to play with an unidentified object, which later exploded. The kid sustained injuries, fractures and bruises but he was in an average condition. (Eng. report)
A great devastation due to military training in al-ghoor area
The Israeli military trainings conducted in different parts of the Palestinian Jordan Valley al-ghoor turned the life of the area's residents (50,000 people) into an insupportable hell. Israeli occupation authorities tend to carry out military maneuvers nearby people residences. As a result, residents get forcefully displaced from their houses to become an arena for the army bombs and bullets. Not only that, the occupation troops confiscates residents’ properties and sheep, demolish their structure and expel them to new areas.
It should be marked that when residents of such areas get back to their homes, they find out that all their structures got demolished and their properties looted. Not only that, residents risk their lives coming back to their houses due to the training leftovers; a lot of people fell dead and others sustained serious injuries or amputations. Landmines and leftovers are now causing an imminent threat on others' lives.
When the occupation army intends to conduct military trainings, an order entitled “eviction notification” is served for people including the following:
- Eviction of the area at certain time. If not compelled to the order, all properties including livestock will be confiscated from the targeted area.
- The orders usually target the Jordan Valley areas or Bedouin communities.
- The usual claim of the orders is “conducting military training”
- The issuer of the order is IDF- Israel Civil Administration
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
