On the 10th of March 2016, the Israeli Civil Administration declared about 2,342 dunums of Palestinian land, located south of Jericho city, as “State land”.
The new military order was issued by the so-called “The Custodian of Absentee property & Israel Land Authority of Judea and Samaria ” attached to the Israeli Ministry of Defense/Civil Administration, Yousi Sigal, and signed on the 10th of March 2016, which declared 2,342 dunums of land as “State land” or “Governmental property”.
A geopolitical analyses conducted by the Geo-informatics department at the Applied Research Institute- Jerusalem (ARIJ), showed that the targeted land, which located north of the illegal Israeli settlement of “Almog” and south of Jericho city, distributed on three classification of land:
The first part of the targeted land used to be classified by the Israeli Authorities as “Registered State land”, and this step is to change the status of the land to be formally “declared state land”, which it about 1453 dunums.
The second part of the land located within the Area classified as “Area C” (according to Oslo Agreement, 1995) which it under the control of the Israeli Authorities, and its about 500 dunums of land. The declaration of 500 dunums of land lies in Area “C” confirming the Israeli intention to keep their control over the Area C in the occupied West Bank (60% of the total area of the West Bank), and there is no Israeli plans to evacuate it within any future agreement with the Palestinians based of “Two State Solution”. Noted that without area C , the future “State of Palestine” will be dismembered.
The third part of the targeted land located within the “Master plan” for the illegal settlement of “Almog”. Which it the future expansion plan created by the Israeli Authorities in the year 1995, and it’s the area surrounding the “built up area” of the settlements and its allocated for the future expansions. The new declaration of State land lies on 389 dunums of land located within the master plan for Almog settlement.
Furthermore, the targeted land (2,342 dunums) lies within the area classified as “Eastern Segregation Zone”, which occupy 28% of the total area of the West Bank (1580 km2 ). The most significant parts of this area were classified “closed military area”, firing zones, military bases…..while it is forbidden to be used by the Palestinians.
The Second State land Declaration in the year 2016… The relations between the two declarations
The new State land declaration which targeted 2,342 dunums of land, south of Jericho city, is not the first one in the year of 2016, and not only the first one in the same area, where on the 20th of January 2016, the Israeli Minister of Defense “Moshe Ya’alon”, aimed to approve the expropriation of 1,545 dunums of Palestinian land, north of the Israeli settlement of Almog, south of Jericho city, as “State land”.
The Israeli Civil Administration; one of the Israeli Defense Ministry’ arms, and (after an alleged procedures and measures) carried out by what is so-called “Blue Line Team” in the Civil Administration, decided to declare the targeted land (about 1,545 dunums) as “State land”, while, where the targeted land used by the Israeli settlers for agriculture matters for several years ago. For More information about this case check the follow link: http://www.old.poica.org/details.php?Article=8877
It’s worth to mention that the new State land declaration of 2,342 dunums of land surrounded and encircled the 1,545 dunums of land that expropriation in the month of January, and which classified by the Israeli Authorities as “Jewish Agriculture Area”, since it were used by the Israeli settlers for several years ago for Agricultural purposes.
About 4000 Dunums Expropriated Within three Months
In total, the Israeli Authorities and form the beginning of the year 2016, confiscated about 3,887 dunums of land, north of the illegal Israeli settlement of “Almog”. This land will be, defiantly, used by the Israeli settlers living in Almog settlements and the surrounded ones for agricultural matters and for the expansion of their nearby illegal settlements, outposts, and road networks, and all kinds of colonial projects that will benefit the Israeli settlers.
About 9000 Dunums Slated to be declared As “State Land around Almog
In the area surrounding Almog settlement and the new State land declaration (2342 dunums), what is so-called the “Blue line team”; a crew in the Israeli Civil Administration related to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, study the statues of the lands, where the sole scope of work of the team is to check the status of the Palestinian lands and to classify them if they are located within the “state land” zone or not. If the checked lands were classified and fall within “State Land” area, the blue line team inform the related authorities with results to push them toward expropriating the land.
It is worth pointed that the Israeli Authorities will not only expropriate the 4000 dunums of land in this year in the Jordan Valley area and around the settlement of Almog in particular, but also, they will confiscate more lands in the future once the Blue line team finish its alleged check for the status of the land and apply their results. Where in total, about 8683 dunums of land nowadays in the checking process by the Blue line team to identify if these lands located within the “State land” zone or not paving the way for its expropriation in the near future.. See the map below:
To sum up:
The expropriation of Palestinian land in the occupied Palestinian territory in all of its aspect constitute a circumvent over the international law rules and international legitimacy resolutions
The Israeli expropriation of the Palestinian lands constitute a flagrant and grave breach for the International law rules and conventions (Art. 51 of the 1949 Geneva Convention II –Art. 147 of the 1949 Geneva Convention IV- Art. 53 of the 1949 Geneva Convention IV-Art. 23(g) of the 1899 Hague Regulations – the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, Articles 13 and 17 and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 19 December 1966 :-
Articles 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention indicated that: Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. is a grave breach of the Convention.
Art. 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 also provides: In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war;.
Article 53 of the same convention provides that 'any destruction by the Occupying power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or other public authorities or social or cooperative organizations is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.'
Article 147 of the convention considers 'extensive destruction and appropriate of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly' as a grave breach of the Convention and thus constitute a war crime.
Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, Article 17 reads: 'No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.' Which means it bans Israel from destroying or confiscating the property of the Palestinians at any case.
Article 12' of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 19 December 1966: Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
