- Violation: Destroying the foundations of a school.
- Date: January 16th 2020.
- Location: Birin – Bani Na’im / Hebron governorate.
- Perpetrators: The Israeli occupation civil administration.
- Victims: schools students in Birin.
Description:
Thursday , January 16th 2020, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished the foundations of Birin school south Bein Na’im in Hebron , on the pretext of building without licenses.
Birin village council head , Farid Burqan told LRC : “The Israeli occupation building and organization department accompanied by a bulldozer and an excavator raided Birin village early in the morning, and the machineries carried on demolishing the foundations of a school.”
Photos 1+2: The remains after demolishing the foundations of the school
The Israeli occupation authorities demolished the foundations of the school that were constructed late 2019, the plan was to construct a school for the village with an area of (148 m2), the school was supposed to be an alternative for a structure of steel sheets that is now being used as a school, it was going to be built with a donation from the village’s people, one of them also donated a plot for the project, and it was going to provide education for at least 58 students.
Noteworthy, in 2017 , the Israeli occupation authorities issued halt of work notices on the school and the village mosque , for more information read LRC report:
Stop-work and demolition orders in Birin hamlet
In January 12th 2020 , the Israeli occupation authorities issued a notice entitles “removal of a new building” , and numbered (10302), which orders removing the school building within 96 hours.
Photo 3 : a notice to remove Birin school
In this notice , the Israeli occupation authorities refer to military order (1797) issued in 2018, which targets under construction buildings . it is noteworthy that the municipality filed an objection in the Israeli occupation supreme court hoping to protect the school, but they failed.
Birin hamlet:[1]
It is located to the southwest of Bani Na’im village and is inhabited by 300 people. The hamlet is edged by Bani Haiver colony from the east and the bypass road no. 60 from the west. Residents of the area were expelled from Negev area and now depend on agriculture and livestock husbandry as main sources of income. The hamlet accommodates one only primary school (1st- 7th grades). Birin (two water wells) was named after two water wells founded in the area.
Like all Palestinian communities in area C, the hamlet is a subject of settlers’ assaults, Illegal colonists of “Pane Hever” have built an outpost close to the hamlet and it is continuously growing.
Legal Feedback:
Demolishing Palestinian structure and facilities is considered a violation of international humanitarian law , this is reflected in the following articles:
Article 147 of Geneva fourth convention : extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. ( it is considered a serious violation of the convention)
Article 53 of Geneva fourth convention that forbids destroying properties : 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 co-operative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.
Article 33 of Geneva fourth convention: No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed.
[1] GIS-LRC
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