A Series of Israeli Demolitions targeting Palestinian Properties in East Jerusalem
“ARIJ records the demolitions of Palestinian properties in East Jerusalem during the month of November 2011”

The Israeli occupation Army is escalating its violations against the Palestinian people and their properties all over the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), where from November 1, 2011 until November 30, 2011, 20 Palestinian houses were demolished along with 44 others received demolition orders under the pretext of lacking building permits.

 

On December 5, 2011, the Israeli bulldozers took down a Palestinian house in Al-Sakariya area in Beit Hanina neighborhood in the northern parts of the city of Jerusalem. The house is owned by local resident Majdi Al-Salaymeh and was demolished under the pretext of lacking building permit.

 

Moreover, the Israeli occupation bulldozers demolished on the same day a 150 m² house in Yasoul neighborhood in Silwan city, in the southeastern part of Jerusalem old city owned by local resident Burhan Zakariya Burqan under the pretext of lacking proper building authorization from the Israeli Occupation authorities at the Municipality of Jerusalem. Mr. Fakhri Abu Diab, member of the Palestinian Committee for the Defense of Silwan lands and Properties revealed that the Israeli bulldozers demolished another animal shack located nearby Mr. Burhan’s house who is living in his house for over 40 years. Mr. Diab added that in the year 2009 the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem fined the owner of the house with 50 thousand NIS for adding a small room to his house (the already demolished house). It is worth mentioning that the demolition of Mr. Burhan’s house was carried out one week after the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem handed him an administrative demolition order, thus giving him no time to file a petition against the administrative demolition order or even seek to pursue the issuance of a license to his house.

 

Silwan is a Palestinian Jerusalemite town, located to the southeastern part of the old city of Jerusalem. The town extends along Qedron Valley and runs alongside the eastern slopes of Jabal Al-Mukabber. Since the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem in 1967, the town has been targeted by the successive Israeli governments and Jewish extremist settlement organizations and movements such as ‘Ateret Cohanim and El ‘AD Jewish organizations. To read more about the Israeli colonial activities in Silwan, refer to the previously written case study: Forcible Judaization of Jerusalem ‘Israel to start demolishing Al Bustan Neighborhood in East Part of Jerusalem, November 3, 2011.

 

Furthermore, on December 6, 2011, the Israeli occupation Army bulldozers demolished a Palestinian house in Al-Khalilieh area in Al-Jeeb village northwest of the city of Jerusalem under the pretext of lacking building permits. The demolished house is owned by local resident Khamis Ad-Daddou and was built 15 years ago on a total area of 70 m². The house is inhabited by 9 family members. See Map 1

 

 

Al-Jeeb is a Palestinian village located in the northwestern parts of Jerusalem. The village populated by 5815 residents (PCBS 2010). It is bordered by the illegal Israeli settlement of Giv’at Ze’ev from the northwest, An-Nabi Samuel village as well as  the illegal Israeli settlement of Neve Samuel from the south, Giv’at Hadasha settlement from the east, Bir Nabala village along with the illegal Israeli settlement of ‘Atarot from its west.

 

According to the Oslo II Interim agreement of 1995, Al-Jeeb village lands, as well as the rest of the Palestinian Territory were divided into areas A, B and C. In Area A, the Palestinian National Authority has complete autonomy over administrative and security issues, where in area B, Palestinians have full control over the civil administration and Israel continues to have overriding responsibility for security; while in Area C, Israel has full control over the security and administrative issues. Table 1 clarifies the classification of lands of Al-Jeeb village According to Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995:

Table 1: Classification of Al-Jeeb Lands According to Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995
%from the total Town lands	Area-Dunums	Land Classification
0	0	Area A
7	577	Area B
93	7,614	Area C
100	8,191	Total
Source: ARIJ Database 2011

 

Al-Jeeb village is surrounded from its four directions with a set of illegal Israeli settlements, Giv’at Ze’ev, Giv’on, Giv’on Hadasha and Nevi Samuel, which were built on its lands and caused the confiscation of 1,861 dunums (23%) of its total area which amounts to 8,191 dunums.

 

Table 2: Illegal Israeli Settlements Built on Al-Jeeb Village Lands
Settlement Name	Establishment Date	Area  confiscated from the village lands to build the settlement- (Dunums)	Population (2009)
Giv’at Ze’ev	1982	1616	2856
Giv’on	1978	118	1179
Giv’on Hadasha	1980	121	1296
Neve Samuel	1996	6	NA
Total	*****	1,861	5,331
Source: ARIJ Database 2011

 

  

The latest revised route of the Israeli Segregation wall which was published on the Israeli Ministry of Defense website on April 30, 2007 showed that Al-Jeeb village along with the adjacent villages of Al-Judeira and Bir Nabala (total population exceeds 16,000  residents –PCBS 2010) are trapped into an enclave and are isolated from the city center of Jerusalem. In addition, most of the Palestinian residents living in the aforementioned Palestinian village hold Jerusalem ID cards and now find themselves living in the West Bank side of the Wall (living outside Jerusalem’s municipal boundary) and therefore, are set to lose their residency status under the ‘centre of life’ policy.  Furthermore, the construction of the wall in and around Jerusalem makes many Palestinians who hold Jerusalem ID card unable to reach their places of work, education, health and other basic services inside Jerusalem, which they must do in order to preserve their Jerusalemite status. Eventually, Palestinians are to choose between living on the West Bank side of the wall  and lose their residency rights in Jerusalem or be forced to change their place of living to meet the discriminatory restrictions imposed by Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem on them.

 

The systematic Israeli aggressions conducted by the Israeli Occupation authorities against Palestinian residents in the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem constitute a grave breach for the International law rules and conventions:

[1]  In 1995 the Israeli Interior Ministry introduced a new regulation requiring Palestinian residents to prove they had continuously lived and worked in Jerusalem during the preceding seven years.  For more information, check the following link: ‘Quiet transfer’ in East Jerusalem nears completion
http://electronicintifada.net/content/quiet-transfer-east-jerusalem-nears-completion/6412

[2] lose their jobs and access the center of life in Jerusalem city