Beit Ummar Town and Khirbet Safa have been a regular target for the Israeli Occupation Army and Colonists aggressions during the past years.
The hostiles used several brutal methods against the Palestinian citizens including shooting at them and wounding and killing some residents, burning and uprooting hundreds of trees, preventing the locals from reaching their lands, besieging them, etc.
The colonists have always used new and vicious mechanisms intended for violating the different rights of Palestinians in order to making taking over their lands a much easier task.
2009 Aggressions:
Looking back in time, numerous crimes against the Palestinians have been recorded. These crimes were committed by the colonists and under the cover and protection of the Israeli Occupation Army.
According to the public relations office in Beit Ummar municipality, the Israeli aggressions included:
Placing a barrier on the town entrance: on February 26, 2009, the Israeli Occupation Military Command in Hebron Area ordered the confiscation of a 295 meters long land for the purpose of putting a barbered wire fence that separates the town from the main road (Jerusalem-Hebron Road) for security reasons.
Israeli Soldiers had grievously wounded a kid and attacked another one: on March 4, 2009, an Israeli Occupation Army soldiers shot ‘Mahdi abu ‘Ayyash’ in the head causing him a brain dead, as a result, Mahdi was announced a martyr on October 12, 2009. Another incident was recorded on the same day when a group of Israeli soldiers attacked Montaser Bregheith (16) beating him brutally and putting him into custody.
Attacking Yousuf Sabarna: on March 10, 2009, a group of Israeli soldiers ferociously attacked the 15 years old kid on one of them beat him on the head using the rifle buttock.
Bat Ayin colonists accompanied by a group of Israeli Soldiers assault the town: on April 8, 2009, a group of colonists accompanied by a group of Israeli soldiers attacked Safa area, northern Beit Ummar and inhabited by 1200 people. The colonists opened fire randomly and tried to storm the houses located near the colony. The attack resulted in several injuries and suffocation conditions because of the tear gas.
Israeli Occupation Army soldiers maltreat teachers and students of Beit Ummar elementary school: on April 23, 2009, the Israeli Occupation Soldiers stopped tens of students while on their way back to Beit Ummar from a school trip. The passengers were surprised to see the soldiers pointing their assault rifles at them and asking them to leave the buses immediately. The soldiers took the passengers into custody. Three hours passed before releasing the passengers, the thing that was done after the direct intervention of the students’ parents and the Palestinian Solidarity Project participants residing in Beit Ummar.
Pictures 1+2+3: Israeli Occupation Army soldiers maltreat school students
Attacking farmers and preventing them from reaching their lands: on April 28, 2009, a group of settlers backed by an Israeli Army unit prevented the farmers from getting to their lands near Bat Ayin colony. The Israeli soldiers beat ‘Abdullah Wahadin’ when he tried to get to his land. Soon afterwards, the Israeli Army unit announced the area a closed military zone and ordered the Palestinians to leave immediately.
Pictures 4+5: Israeli Occupation Army soldiers assaulting Palestinians and internationals.
Banning farmers from using their lands: on May 18, 2009, colonists from Bat Ayin colony banned a group of Palestinian farmers from getting to their lands located to the north of Beit Ummar. The colonists, who threatened the Palestinians using fire arms, forced them to leave and prevented them from collecting their yield. The colonists’ aggression caused panic and made the women flee to save themselves and their children.
Initiating the construction of the segregation wall process: on May 18, 2009, the construction of the metal wall that separates the town of Beit Ummar from the by-pass road 60 begun. The wall prevented the locals from passing over to the other side of the town (by-pass road 60 divided the town into two parts). The Israeli Occupation Authorities justifies this terrible act by the need to protect the colonists from the Molotov cocktails and rocks thrown at the passing colonists.
Picture 6: Israeli Occupation Army soldiers constructing the metal wall
Uprooting more than 200 trees: on June 22, 2009, another crime was committed by Bat Ayin colonists when tens of them attacked Palestinian fields, uprooting more than 200 and torching some other ones before fleeing. Eyewitnesses from the Palestinian Solidarity Project team said that the colonists committed the terrible act under the Israeli Occupation Army protection.
Pictures 7+8: uprooted trees
Torching more than 150 dunums of land: on July 13, 2009, more than 50 colonists, guarded by a number of soldiers assaulted Palestinian fields located in ‘Wadi al Rish’ area close to Bat Ayin colony. The colonists were well prepared to carry out their crime; they were carrying large amounts of gasoline which they poured on trees to spread the fire. The heat and the wind facilitated the spread of flames which lasted for hours before the fire fighters were able to control them. 150 dunums were turned to ashes. The fields belonged to farmers from Surif and Beit Ummar. It must be known that the Israeli Occupation Army tried to obstruct the movement of the fire fighting teams. Moreover, the colonists attacked anyone who tried to stop the flames that were devouring the fields.
Pictures 9+10: scorched earth
Forbidding farmers from reaching their lands: on October 3, 2009, the Israeli Occupation forces forbade the Palestinian farmers from getting to their lands in ‘Wadi al Rish’ area and gather their grapes crops. It must be known that the villagers were disallowed to get to this part of town since the beginning of the agricultural season which had terrible effects on the crop quantity and quality. The farmers were surprised to see a large force of ‘the Borders Guards’ who ordered the Palestinians under the threat of fire arms to leave the area they described as a ‘closed military zone’. Soon afterwards, a number of international supporters tried to interfere to make the soldiers allow the Palestinians to exploit their lands. However, the Israeli Occupation ‘Borders Guards’ put two of them into custody for hours as a reply to their request.
Picture11+12: Israeli Occupation Soldiers prohibit Palestinians from reaching their lands
House seizure: on November 18, 2009, an Israeli Occupation Army unit took over a house that belonged to Isma’el Sabarna and held its residents as captives in one of the rooms. Moreover, they turned the house into a military point after viciously searching it.
Setting electricity polls on Palestinian meadows: the Israeli Quartet Company placed a number of electricity polls in the eastern part of the town. Under the Israeli Occupation Army protection, they seized and plowed hundreds of dunums of lands planted with grapes.
2010 Aggressions:
The year 2009 passed, leaving numerous attacks against Palestinian farms and farmers. However, the colonies around Beit Ummar (Karmi Tzur, Etzyon, and Beit El), the watch towers, and the metal wall are still there. This means that we will keep our composure and keep recording the Israeli Occupation Violations of human rights.
Again, the Israeli Occupation Army and Colonists create new agonizing mechanisms each and every day, the most recent was the ‘must leave’ orders which commands the landlord of immediately evacuating and leaving his land.
It must be known that the targeted lands with these orders are structures-free. It is clear that the purpose of these orders is forcing the people themselves to leave.
Violations against Beit Ummar town during 2010:
Assaulting a number of International supporters: on January 9, 2010, a group of farmers accompanied by a number of international supporters of different nationalities were heading towards their farms in ‘Wadi al Rish’ area. The villagers were shocked to see tens of armed colonists flowing into the area and as usual, protected by tens of Israeli soldiers. Their intention was forcing the Palestinians to leave. Soon afterwards, a quarrel between the internationals and the soldiers turned into a clash. The Israeli soldiers used tear gas and threatened to use fire arms if the internationals do not leave at once. A number of internationals were hurt by the gas.
Preventing villagers from getting to their lands: on January 11, 2009, the Israeli Occupation Army prevented a group of Palestinian farmers accompanied by International supporters from plowing their lands at gunpoint. The farmers were surprised to see a force of ‘Borders Guards’ spreading in the area and ordering them to leave immediately because it is a ‘closed military zone’. The farmers said that not being able to plow their lands will harm their crop which is their sole source of income.
On January 13, 2009, the Israeli Occupation Army bulldozers leveled 4 dunums of land planted with trees in Safa area. The lands were the property of the brothers Mustapha, ‘Izzat, and Moh’d abu Maria and their cousin Anis abu Maria. The leveling process also included leveling of a number of retaining walls in the area.
Pictures 13+14: sabotage marks
The Most Recent Type of Military Orders, the ‘Must Leave’ Order:
On the beginning of February, 2010, some Palestinian farmers were attempting to plant some olive seedlings before a group of Israeli soldiers and colonists showed up in the area and forced them to leave saying that it is a ‘closed military zone’.
The order included lands in the southern mountain nearby Bat Ayin colony. The 160 dunums area is planted with olives, prunus, and cereals and is the property of:
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Moh’d ‘Adi.
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Mahmoud ‘Adi.
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‘Ali ‘Adi.
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Ibrahim ‘Adi.
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‘Isam Sleibi.
Pictures A+B+C: the most recent type of orders
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
