- Violation: Habilitation works on colonial road that serve illegal settlers.
- Location: Yasuf town / Salfit governorate.
- Date: May 30-2018.
- Perpetrators: Settlers of “Kfar Tapuah”.
- Victims: Farmers of Yasuf village.
Description:
May- 30 -2018, settlers carried out habilitation work on roads south and west “Kfar Tapuah” city on the expenses of Yasuf lands-east Salfit city. LRC field observation team observed Israeli trucks transferring base course to habilitate colonial roads.
About this recent colonial activity, Nasha’at Abdul-Fatah head of Yasuf rural council told LRC observer: “ The subjected roads are old Palestinian agricultural roads, serve about 300 dunums of agricultural lands west the town, but in the recent years and as a result of implanting many outposts sub joint to “Kfar Tapuah”, the occupation imposed obstructs on farmers movement to cultivate their lands , Farmers are forced to get permits only for few hours in certain times of the year, now the occupation is habilitating roads to serve settlers who freely roam over Palestinian farmers’ lands.
Human rights activist Zakareia As-Sadda says that the recent colonial activity is the first step in taking over the whole are: “There is an Israeli scheme to evict the area from its Palestinian residents, the occupation is imposing obstructs on farmers’ movement in their 300 dunums of agricultural lands, in the recent 5 years a colonial outpost was built on them, and today agricultural roads are being habilitated settling to take over the whole area for colonial expansion”.
Photos 1-2: Israeli trucks adding Base course
Photo 3: occupation’s vehicles leveling lands surrounding settlements.
Expanding an outpost:
At the same time of what was mentioned, the occupation is expanding the colonial outpost “Kfar Tapuah south” built over confiscated lands from Yasuf town, Eyewitnesses saw the occupation’s machines leveling surrounding lands in preparation for the expansion.
“Kfar Tapuah south” was established recently on lands the occupation consider state’s lands, it is about one kilometer and a half away from “Kfar Tapuah” settlement.
The mentioned colonial projects serve the same purpose, that is forming “The greater Kfar Tapuah” in the heart of west bank, which will confiscate wide areas of Palestinian lands, and make the settlement three times bigger.
Yasuf[1]:
It is 16km south of Nablus. Yasuf is surrounded by Huwara and Jamma’in (north), Marda (west), Yatma (east), and Iskaka (south).
Yasuf is inhabited by 2090 people (according to 2013 projections). It has a total area of 6037 dunums, 330 of which are built-up area of the village.
The Israeli occupation confiscated 814 dunums for these two colonies: Kfar Tapuah colony which was built on Yasuf lands in 1978. The colony is inhabited by 523 colonists and Rachelim- Shvut that was built in 1991 and devoured 10 dunums.
Besides, the bypass road number 508 confiscated more than 155 dunums of the village lands.
According to Oslo Accords, only 1427 dunums of Yasuf lands are under Area B (PA is in charge of civil matters with Israel responsible for security) while most of Yasuf is under Area C (Israel maintains full security and administrative control). About of 4609 dunums of Yasuf is in area C.
Legal Feedback:
The constringing policy by the Israeli occupation authorities of confiscating Palestinian lands in order to build illegal random outposts and settlements can only be regarded as a violation of all international conventions and agreements like:
The Geneva Fourth convention relative to the protection of civilian persons in the times of war:
Security council resolution 242 year 1967: Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict; and Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territoial 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.
Security council resolution 446 year 1979: Determines 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;
Security council resolution 452 year 1979: the resolution once again denounced Israel’s settlement activities in territories occupied in 1976 including (East) Jerusalem, this activity constituting a violation of the Fourth Geneva convention, and called on Israel to cease planning and construction of settlements
Security council resolution 465 year 1980: calls 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;
Security council resolution 478 year 1980: Censures in the strongest terms the enactment by Israel of the “basic law” on Jerusalem and the refusal to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions,Those States that have established diplomatic missions at Jerusalem to withdraw such missions from the Holy City.
Hough convention 1907 :
Article 46: the occupying power must not confiscate Private property .
Article 55: The occupying State shall be regarded only as administrator and usufructuary of public buildings, real estate, forests, and agricultural estates belonging to the hostile State, and situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the capital of these properties, and administer them in accordance with the rules of usufruct.
Geneve forth convention 1949:
Article 49: The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the territories it occupies.
Article 55: Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited.
Article 174: taking of hostages and extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.
[1]GIS-LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
