Demolition of 37 houses and barns in Al Ras Al Ahmar

Violation: leveling 13 houses and 19 barns, 5 stoves.

Date: July 1, 2010.

Location: Al Ras al Ahmar – Northern Jordan Valley region.

Violators: the Israeli Occupation Army Civil Administration.

Victims: 13 Palestinian families.

Details:

Al Ras al Ahmar has been facing continuous threats. On July 1, 2010, Israeli troops, Israeli Civil Administration officers, and a dozer appeared in the area to the east of Tammoun. The Dozer commenced the leveling of a number of tents, barns, and sheds before even giving the owners the chance to move their belongings which were buried under the ruins. The Israelis claim that the structures are located in a ‘military zone’.

The owners tried to salvage what is left of their belongings and to reuse anything that can benefit in building other shelters for them and their children in a view similar to what happened during the Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948. It must be noted that the Israelis had previously handed the owners eviction orders on June 6.

The orders urge the owners to leave their shelters within 24 hours; saying that staying in the houses is against the Israeli Army instructions; the Army considers the area a ‘military zone’. Nevertheless, the owners insisted that they will never even consider leaving their property which they have deeds proving their ownership. They were firm about staying there despite the occupation consumption of their lands for the sake of its colonial expansion plans.

No.	Landlord	Family members	Children	Demolished structures
1	Abdullah Bisharat	9	6	Stove, 2 barns, and a house
2	Salah Bisharat	5	3	House, 2 barns
3	Mohammad Bani Odeh	11	6	House, 3 barns
4	Fayyad Bani Odeh	9	5	House, barn
5	‘Ali Bani Odeh	7	5	House, barn, and a stove
6	Jum’a Bani Odeh	4	2	house
7	‘Ali ‘Izzat Bani Odeh	8	5	House, 2 barns
8	‘Izzat Bani Odeh	2	0	House, 2 barns
9	Ayman Bani Odeh	4	1	House, barns
10	Jamal Bani Odeh	6	4	House, barn, stove
11	Mustapha Bani Odeh	9	4	House, barn, stove
12	Iyad Bani Odeh	5	3	House, barn
13	Hasan Bani Odeh	6	4	House, 2 barns, stove
Total		85	48	13 house, 19 barns, 5 stoves

The region has been continuously facing demolitions and has always been endangered. Every year, people lose their houses, others are deported. The Israeli Army announced the region a ‘military zone’ used for military purposes since 1973, however, the nomads staying there have been struggling to remain in their lands ever since.

Mohammad al Mallah, the legal advisor in Tubas Governorate, stated: ‘The Israeli message that is sent through the recent demolitions is their willingness to cleanse the area from its Arab residents. The demographic nature of the region has been altered thanks to the Israeli policies; many areas are missing the herders which used to live in. It is a continuous process of replacement; it prevents the rise of the Palestinian state. What is happening here is as dangerous as what is happening in the Occupied City of Jerusalem’

The difference in lifestyle is obvious in the region. True owners of the land are strictly prohibited from any type of construction, their simple shelters cannot be improved, and any sort of amendments are disallowed. On the other hand, Israeli colonists, who took over the land from its true owners, receive all the facilities they need for the expansion and development of their colonies and farms.

The Israeli policy, based on pure discrimination is condemned by all the humanitarian laws; moreover, it falsifies the Israeli claims of being the only democracy in the region, Israel’s actions shows how far they are from democracy and respect to the human dignity. or more information on Al Ras al Ahmar, please refer to LRC’s report published on June, 2010.