From the beginning of August 2015, the Israeli Occupation Authorities intensified the demolition process against the Palestinian houses in several Bedouin communities in the northern parts of the Jordan valley, leaving hundreds of Palestinians homeless.
Indeed the total number of the demolished structures (included residential) reached to 40 structures, of which 21 residential located in the Jordan Valley area And specifically in the communities of : Al Meiteh, Al Aqaba, Khirbet Yarza, an area located near Al Hamra military checkpoint and at Al Fasaiyal village.
During the 48 years of the Israeli Occupation, the Palestinians in all parts of the occupied Territory including east Jerusalem , had severely affected by the Israeli systematic demolition policy, and especially in the Jordan valley area.
The aforementioned targeted areas located within an area classified by the Israeli Authorities as ‘Closed military zone’,, where the construction are not allowed for the Palestinian in particular.
Below are the targeted Palestinian communities in the Jordan valley that affected by the last demolition operation:
- On the 5th of August 2015, the Israeli Occupation Army and bulldozers stormed Khirbet Yarza in the northern parts of Jordan valley and demolished 3 residential tents and 2 animal sheds, left tens of Palestinians; included children, homeless.
- In the same date, the Israeli bulldozers demolished four residential structures and 5 barracks in Al Meitah village.
- Also, the Israeli bulldozers demolished a house and 5 agricultural barracks in Al Aqaba village.
- On the 10th of August 2015, the Israeli Authorities issued a number of demolition orders for several Palestinian houses located near Al-Hamra military checkpoint and the Israeli Road No.57, giving them 10 days to evacuate their houses. However, on the 11th of August 2015, the Israeli bulldozers demolished 3 houses in the aforementioned area, noted that the demolition houses notified with demolition orders one day before the demolition took place..
- While on the 17th of August 2015, the Israeli Occupation bulldozers demolished 17 structures; included 10 residential, in Al Fasayil village in the northern of Jordan valley, left 48 Palestinians homeless.
Jordan Valley and the Eastern Segregation Plan
After the Israeli Authorities occupied the West Bank in the 1967, they declared all the area along the eastern part of West Bank as “closed military zone” and it occupied about 29.3% of the total area of the West Bank. Accordingly the construction are not allowed in these area and of course for the Palestinians only. About 44 Palestinian communities living there (pop. exceeds 60000 Palestinian residents), however there are 37 Israeli settlements and 32 outposts, in addition to a number of military bases and an Israeli road networks.
And what it’s not allowed for Palestinians it’s allowed for the settlers; where according to an analysis conducted by the Geo-informatics Department at ARIJ, for the satellite photos for the year 2014, for the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and compared them with the data for the year of 2012, the Israeli settlements, which located in the eastern segregation zone, expanded with about 142 building (each building consist of a number of housing units) were built in the 22 settlements of 37 settlements in the Eastern segregation zone, and they added about 66 caravans.
Furthermore, the Israeli Authorities forced tens of Palestinian families to evacuate their houses and land in several areas in the northern of Jordan valley, under the claim of “Military training”, where they used live ammunition, which causing damage to the agricultural lands and constituted a danger to the lives of Palestinians.( noted that several Palestinians; most of them children, were injured from the remnants of the Israeli military trainings).
To conclude
The Israeli Authorities are moving steadily in implement their colonial plans and projects in the occupied Palestinian territory, and changing the facts of the ground, by increasing the number of Israeli settlers who live in the Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied West bank, and expanding the settlements and building new ones. However, all of the Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal according to the international law rules and norms;
The Fourth Geneva Convention , Article 49 that “The occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own population into the territories it occupies.” and Article 174 of the same convention “prohibits the 'extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.”
- Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment, and land leveling and property destruction carried out by Israeli forces are collective punishments. The article states: 'No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”
- 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 Fourth Geneva Convention Israel is prohibited to demolish the Palestinian houses according to the Article 53 of the Convention which 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 to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations
- Article XXXI, Oslo II, 1995 provides: Neither side shall take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
- Article XXXI of the 1995 Oslo agreement Israel is forbidden from building or planning to any project or settlements or any colonial expansion or any plan that lead to change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The article provides “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations”.
Furthermore, the existence of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and their expansions are Illegal and contradicts with the international law rules, United Nations Security Council Resolutions such as 237 (1967), 271 (1969), 446 (1979), 452 (1979) ,465 (1980.
- Resolution 446 March 22, 1979 calls on Israel to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories"
- Also the resolution 452 of the 1979 “calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem.
Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
