- Violation: closing Azzun's main entrance
- Location: Azzun village- Qalqiliya governorate
- Date: February 02, 2017
- Perpetrators: Israeli Occupation Forces
- Victims: residents of the area
Details:
Israeli Occupation Forces closed on February 02, 2017 the northern main entrance of Azzun village via a metal gate. The entrance\road is considered the linking point between the village and the bypass road number 55, which travels through the village's lands.
It should be noted that the entrance was closed many times during the past couple of years. According to the data of Land Research Center, Azzun's entrance was closed more than 18 times during 2016.
Closures are a means of collective punishment used by Israeli Occupation Forces to harass Palestinians on claim of "security purposes".
Usually, Israeli Occupation Forces raid houses and break into structures at time of enforcing closures on villages. Nowadays, residents of Azzun are forced to use substitute routes that are more fatiguing and of higher cost to reach their daily destinations.
Photo 1: the northern entrance of Azzun village while closed
Soldiers mood in opening and closing the entrance:
Merchant Munther Jadou' confirmed to Land Research Center that closures are implemented according to the mood of soldiers who are stationed in the area. This causes commercial losses and hits the economy of the area, said Munther..
About Azzun Atma:
Located 8km to Qalqiliya city with a total area of 9,472 dunums, of which 1,054 dunums are the village’s built-up area, Azzun is inhabited by 7,821 people (2007).
The occupation confiscated vast area from the village for the favor of colonization and the apartheid wall; the areas are detailed as follows:
- 276 dunums were confiscated for Maale Shamron colony that was established in 1980.
- 417 dunums were confiscated for the bypass road number 55
It should be marked that the vast majority of Azzun lands (6,927 dunums) is classified as area “C” according to Oslo accords; areas that are controlled by the Israeli occupation. The village has zero percentage of area “A” that is under the control of Palestinian Authority. As for other classifications, the village has 2,546 dunums classified as area “B”. (Geographical Information System- Land Research Center)
3 colonies are built on 'Azzun lands and they are:
- Maale Shomron: Built in 1980, the colony has a total area of 1903 and a built-up area of 216 dunums. 549 colonists live in it (according to a 2004 census).
- Genot Shomron: Built in 1985, the colony's built-up area is 484 dunums.
- Karni Shomron: Built in 1978, the colony's built-up area is 1351 dunums. 6270 colonists live in it (according to a 2005 census).
Some International conventions and Humanitarian laws pertaining to attacks on land and natural resources are:
Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
- Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
- No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights States:
"All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence."
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
