- Violation: demolishing a three story house
- Location: Hejjeh village- Qalqiliya
- Date: June 21, 2016
- Perpetrators: Israeli Occupation Forces
- Victims: family of martyr Bashar Masalha
Details:
At dawn of June 21, 2016, a massive force from Israel army raided Hejjeh village, east Qalqiliya governorate and encircled the house of martyr Bashar Masalha in preparation to bring the structure down. A curfew was imposed on the area when soldiers broke into the targeted house and demolished the internal walls.
It should be marked that the house was home for the martyr and his six member family. The attacked apartment totaled 145m2 in area.
The third floor inhabited by the martyr's brother Thaer and his three member family in addition to the first floor inhabited by the martyr's other brother, Bahaa, and his four member family became uninhabitable due to cracks in the foundations of the building.
It is reported that Bashar Masalha was shot dead in Jaffa city and his body was stored frozen before released on May 2016.
On March 11, 2016, the family of the martyr received a military demolition order on their residence. An objection to the order was submitted by the family but was rejected by the court on April 2016. The family had to submit a plea to Israel Supreme Court to re-consider the decision but the plea was rejected on June 16. The rejection came with a four day deadline to evacuate the house in preparation for demolition. Five days later, the demolition order was implemented,
Photos 1-6: the targeted house
It should be marked that the order was issued in reference to the British Emergency Law for the year 1945, taking into consideration that this law was abolished. “Confiscation and demolition” according to article 119 of the law indicates that it is not allowed to re-construct in the demolition location. The Israeli occupation authorities made sure to extend the validity of the British law to use it against Palestinians.
Land Research Center sees the vicious attack on Palestinian buildings as a collective punishment against the families of martyrs and prisoners. The occupation seeks to traumatize and humiliate Palestinian families through such practices.
The Israeli government claims such orders to be deterrent for Palestinians who carry out stabbing or killing attacks. Such attacks come in response for colonists’ attacks on Palestinians, the latest of which was represented in torching a family alive, not mentioning running over kids and women, attacks on trees (torching , cutting down, robbing) and lands confiscation.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
