- Violation: Expanding “Givat Asaf” illegal outpost.
- Location: Beitin village – North Ramallah.
- Date: August 01-2018.
- Perpetrator: The Israeli occupation’s settlement council.
- Victim: villagers of Beitin.
Description:
The so called settlement’s council in the West Bank with the collaboration of the Israeli occupation civil administration are working on expanding the Israeli illegal outpost of the southwest area of Beitin village and known with the name “Givat Asaf”.
It is reported that 17 residential units are implanted in the northern side of the colonial outpost. In the mean time, new road was opened to facilitate movement inside the mentioned outpost, which is the first stage in implanting infrastructure to develop this outpost into a recognized settlement (to the Israeli government). since the beginning of this year settlers of the outpost were leveling the land preparing it for expansion.
Photos 1+2: views of “Givat Asaf”
Attached a map shows the location of the outpost.
“Givat Zeev” was established in 2001 by group of radical settlers with the support of prime minister of Israeli in that time “Ariel Sharon” who has a theory to take over all Palestinian hills and implant outposts over them, in 2000 , in Intifada Al-Aqsa eve the occupation took over Palestinian lands between Bypass 60 and the Bypass that leads to “Beit El” settlement, in that night the eastern entrance of Beitin was closed, and the occupation implanted a military watch tower there, later on number of radical religious settlers implanted 3 mobile caravans on the confiscated area, the situation gradually escalated and more mobile housing units were brought with the support of the Israeli government.
In the recent 2 years, Netenyahu far-right government presented the idea of legalizing some of the colonial outposts in West Bank and organizing them as an attempt to Judaize the area.
Givat Zeef now consists of a synagogue, an educational center and inhabited by 13 radical families who are the perpetrators of several assaults in the northern country side of Ramallah.
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.
The Land Research Center
LRC
