Demolition of structures in the Salfit village of Deir Ballut

Violation: destroying agricultural room and barrack

Location:  Deir Ballut- Salfit

Date: 10/08/2015

Perpetrators: the Israeli occupation army

Victims:  Citizen Adnan Abdallah

Details:

 A massive force from the Israeli occupation army accompanied by two military dozers on August 10, 2015 raided the area of Khallet Qusoul and embarked on demolishing a metal slabs barrack used for sheep and a agricultural room (cement blocks) in the same location; the structures were reported to be owned by Citizen Adnan Abdallah (57) from the village of Deir Ballut. The following table shows information about the damage resulted due to the demolition:

Source: Field observation- Department of Monitoring Israeli Violations- Land Research Center-2015

Photos 1-3: the rubbles of Adnan’s structures

It should be marked that citizen Adnan was previously served a stop-work order on his structures on July 2012 under the claim of “unlicensed construction”. On June 2015, the Planning and Construction Committee- Israel Civil Administration notified the same structures of “Additional opportunity to object a demolition”. Despite that Adnan applied for building permit though the so-called Beit El court of Israel, the structures got demolished mercilessly.

Same scenario was repeated last year with citizen Ghanim Abdallah, who got his residence leveled to the ground under the same claim of “unlicensed construction”

For further information about the attacks and violations Deir Ballut witnessed, please read the following reports issued by Land Research Center:

1. Extending the validity of a land grab (Ar, Eng)
2. New colony on the lands of Deir Ballut (Ar, Eng)
3. Killing 40 olive seedlings in the Salfit village of Deir Ballut (Ar, Eng)
4. Stop-work orders in Deir Ballut( Ar, Eng)
5. Ravaging 55 fruitful trees in Deir Ballut (Ar, Eng)
6. Stop-work orders in Deir Ballut (Ar, Eng)
7. Stop-work orders on seven structures in Deir Ballut (Ar, Eng)
8. Serving stop-work orders on structures from Deir Ballut village (Ar, Eng)
9. Cutting down olive trees in the village of Deir Ballut (Ar, Eng)
10. Destroying tens of agricultural dunums from Deir Ballut village (Ar, Eng)
11. New  colony on the lands of Deir Ballut village (Ar, Eng)

The Village of Deir Ballut:

The village is located on the Green Line west of the Governorate of Salfit at a distance of 20 kilometers from the City of Salfit. The total area of the village is about 13,941 dunums of which 503 dunums are its built-up area. Its population is about 4500, according to the Deir Ballut Municipality, most of whom depend on agriculture as the main source of income.

The dependency of agriculture has risen sharply after the inception of the second Intifada due to the inability to access Israeli job market.

The main agricultural products of the village include garlic, okra, cucumbers, wheat and olives. The presence of a water spring in Wadi Al Ain in the southern parts of the village has helped the agricultural sector to prosper. A for the drinking water of the residents of the village, they rely on water cisterns as well as on the Israeli Water Company. 

In terms of the main clans in the village, there are 9 of them including Tuffaha, Khair, Abdullah, Qasem, Qaroush, Mishel, Mustafa, Musa and Hadrous.

Israeli Colonies and Racist Isolation Wall Devour Deir Ballut Lands:

The Israeli Racist Isolation Wall (length: 10,147 meters on Deir Ballut lands) isolated behind it 4,950 dunums of the villages’ lands from its western and southwestern directions. As for the nearby colony of Bado’el (established in 1984), it devoured 537 from the villages’ lands for its benefit including its 118.7-dunums built-up area in which 1088 Israeli colonists live. Moreover, the colony of Har Eli Zahav (established in 1983) has confiscated 324 dunums of Deir Balluts’ lands. 

Land Research Center LRC sees that demolitions contradict with all of the International conventions and Humanitarian laws including:

1. Article 17 of the (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights stating: “Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”
2. Section ‹G› of article 23 of the (1907) The Hague Conventions asserting: “In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.”
3. Article 53 of the Geneva Fourth Convention (1948) declaring: “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.”
4. Section 1, Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966): “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The States Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international co-operation based on free consent."

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC