For the second time in less than one year the Israeli Army bulldozers stormed Al-Makhrour neighborhood southwest of Beit Jala city north of Bethlehem Governorate, declared it a closed military area, and started without a prior notification to demolish a Palestinian restaurant and a room owned by two local residents under the pretext of lacking building permits. See Map 1
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Map 1: Location of Al Makhrour Area
The first demolished structure is 20 m2 barracks built in March 2013 and owned by the resident George Atallah Khalilieh. The second demotion was for Al-Makhrour restaurant owned by the resident Ramzi Nakhleh Qesiyeh with massive destruction in the site that resulted in financial losses exceeds 200,000 NIS.
Note that Mr. Qesiyeh�s restaurant was built in April 2012, and demolished for the first time on May 3, 2012 before it was demolished for the second time on April 18, 2013.
Moreover and after finishing the demolishing of the restaurant and room the Israeli bulldozers destructed two electricity poles with its infrastructure which resulted to the cutoff electricity on dozens of the Palestinian structures in the area. Photos of the destruction in Al Makhrour area:
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To read more about the previous targeting of Al Makhrour area, refer to the previously case studies:-
The Israeli occupation to Al-Makhrour residents. ‘Happy New Year �..We Are Here’.16, January, 2013.
What is behind the Accelerated Targeting of Al-Makhrour Area west of the City of Beit Jala? 04, May, 2012.
Al-Makhrour is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the city of Beit Jala north of Bethlehem Governorate. It is bordered by Al-Walajeh village as well as the illegal Israeli settlement of Har Gilo from the north, Al-Khader village from the south, Battir and Husan villages from the west, Beit Jala city from the east.
To Sum Up
The demolition of the Palestinian houses and properties are illegal and contradicts with the international law rules and conventions:
Article 53 & 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 indicated that: Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, is a grave breach of the Convention.
Moreover Art. 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 also provides: 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.
Also under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, Article 17 reads: ‘No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’ Which means it bans Israel from destroying or confiscating the property of the Palestinians at any case.
In the year 2004 the United Nations Security Council called on Israel to stop demolition of Palestinian homes under Resolution No. 1544-(2004), the resolution states: ‘The Security Council called on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly the obligation not to undertake home demolitions contrary to that law’.
