New master plan for Karmil colony at the expense of Um Al-Kheir lands

The so-called Israel Civil Administration- Supreme Planning Council deposited the master plan  number 1/1/507 to expand Karmil colony, which is founded on confiscated lands from Yatta town in Hebron governorate. The new plan advertised on March 17, 2016 aims at transforming agricultural lands into residential and commercial areas in addition to public areas ,facilities and roads.

The plan will target the southern and southwestern parts of Karmil colony with an area of 264 dunums from the lands of Um Al-Kheir area; more specifically the natural block number 2.

Israeli Occupation authorities declared the content of the plan as detailed in the below table:

It should be marked that Karmil colony was founded on confiscated lands from Yatta town in the 1980s; it is still expanding at the expense of the town's lands. New colonial buildings and structures are noted established and annexed to the colony; more specifically in the southern and western part of it.

Photos 1-5:  new colonial neighborhoods in Karmil colony

The plan's target lands are reported owned by Al-Hadhaleen family, who were denied access to those lands. Herders and farmers were also denied access and use of lands and cisterns in that area.

Not only, colonists of the nearby planted olive seedlings on top of the target mountain and set up a recreational park to the eastern side of it, which is always open through the week.

It should be marked that this plan comes in time with the occupation wave of military order served on structures and residences of Um Al-Kheir area. Most of the area's structures are notified of either demolition or stop-work orders.

Photos 6-8: the new master plan of the colony

Photo 9: an aerial image illustrating the location of target lands

Land Research Center sees Israel continuous expansion on colonies in the West Bank and Jerusalem at the expense of Palestinian and lands a flagrant violation of Human Rights and all international laws and conventions, which prohibit disposition of public properties in occupied countries.

UN Resolutions

UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967: calls for

• the Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
• Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." [4]

UN Security Council Resolution 449 of 1979: the Security Council determined:

• "that the policy and practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East"

UN Security Council Resolution 452 of 1979: states that

• "the policy of Israel in establishing settlements in the occupied Arab territories has no legal validity and constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949"  and "calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem."

UN Security Council Resolution 465 of 1980:

• It expressed concern at Israeli settlement policy in the Arab territories and recalled resolutions 237 (1967), 252 (1968), 267 (1969), 271(1969) and 298 (1971). It further called upon the State and people of Israel to dismantle such settlements. The resolution calls on all states ‘not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connection with settlements in the occupied territories’.

UN Security Council resolutions in regard to Israeli colonies:

UN Security Council resolution 446, article 3 "           Calls once more upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories;"

• Un Security Council resolution 452, article 3"Calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem;"
• Un Security Council resolution 465, Strongly deplores the continuation and persistence of Israel in pursuing those policies and practices and calls upon the Government and people of Israel to rescind those measures, to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem;

  Calls upon all States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connexion with settlements in the occupied territories;

• Un Security Council resolution  242, Affirms that the fulfilment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:

  (i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
  (ii) Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC