Demolishing a cistern in Al Buweira

Violation: demolishing a cistern feeding 7 dunums of agricultural fields.

Date: April 23, 2012.

Perpetrators: the Israeli Occupation Civil Administration.

Victim: Ismael Asfoor.

Details:

On April 23, 2012, the Israeli Occupation Army demolished a cistern owned by Ismael Asfoor in Al Buweira. Hisham Asfoor, the son of the owner, said: ‘around 11:00, Israeli troops and the Israeli Occupation Civil Administration officers broke into the village accompanied by a dozer and a jackhammer. The dozer searched for the cistern which we covered with earth to avoid detection. However, the jackhammer found it, destroyed it, and buried it’.

Picture A,B: heavy machinery

Picture 1-3: the remains of the cistern

He added: ‘the jackhammer destroyed a water pump and dumped another in water‘.

Picture 4: damaged pumps

The cistern was built in 2000 out of concrete with a total volume of 330 m3. it cost around 22,000 USD and has been used for irrigating 7 dunums. Asfoor pointed that he received a stop-work order in 2008; his neighbors informed him of their visit and what they left since he lives far from his land. Last year, he received a demolition order; he didn’t object to the order; believing that it will be in vain since the Israelis never license Palestinian construction. He also pointed that in 2003, Israeli troops broke into his land and ordered him to remove a water tank and a container that was used as a tool shed. Kharsina is 100 meters away from Asfoor plot and other houses in the village.

Picture 5-6: Kharsina settlement

Asfoor bought the plot in 1999; he reclaimed it and added soil to it to make more viable for plantation. After the destruction of the cistern, the chickpeas season has become endangered since he was dependant on the cistern’s water. He said that the water network is unreliable as water supply is discrete and unpredictable.

He estimated his losses to be around 10,000 ILS besides many other losses in the future. Nevertheless, Asfoor was defiant, saying that he will surly build another cistern and that he will stay in his land and will not abandon it.