Israel targets a number of Palestinian communities n the southern Hebron Hills with demolition and halt of Construction orders

On the 22^nd of February 2017, the Israeli Occupation Army (IOA) and the members of the Israeli Civil Administration raided a number of Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta area in the southern Hebron Hills, namely As Safi, Al Fakheit, Al Markez, Al Halaweh, Um Sarara and Jinba, and gave final demolition orders, halt of construction orders and took photos of a number of facilities in the area under the pretext of unlicensed building. The IOA targeted two schools, one clinic, 6 water wells and 10 residential structures. Table 1 below gives more details of the targeted structures.

The targeted Palestinian communities are located in the area declared by Israel as “Firing or Combat Zone 918”. In July 2012, the Israeli former “defense minister”, Ehud Barack, ordered[2] the evacuation and demolition of eight Palestinian communities out of twelve communities in the southern Hebron Hills in the occupied West Bank because the land is needed for what Israel identifies as “Israeli Defense Forces Training Exercises” and Israel regards these communities as unlawful residents living in the Israeli so-declared area “Firing or Combat Zone 918”. The villages slated for evacuation and demolition were identified as Kherbit Al Majaz, Kherbit At Tabban, Kherbit Asfai, Kherbit Al Fakheit, Kherbit Al Halaweh, Kirbet Al Mirkez, Kherbit Janba, and Kherbit Al Kharuba. The aforementioned communities are home to around 1,500 Palestinians. Since 2012, Israel escalated its attacks against Palestinian houses and structures in the area as many were demolished and others were notified of demolition. For more information, check the following articles:-

• “On the verge of Eviction and demolition”: A series of demolition and stop construction orders hit Palestinian communities in the southern Hebron Hills
• Citing “Firing Zone 918” as a pretext to demolish Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank: “The case of the southern Hebron Hills”

A glance about the Israeli so-declared “Firing Zone 918”

An area in the southern Hebron Hills designated by the Israeli Occupation Authorities ” as “Firing or Combat Zone 918”. It is spread over 30,000 dunums of land and is home to approximately 1,300 Palestinians. The area is comprised of 12 Palestinian communities, identified as: Kherbit Tuba, Kherbit Mufaqara, Kherbit Asafi, Kherbit Al Majaz, Kherbit At Tabban, Kherbit Al Fakheit, Kherbit Maghayer Al-Abeid, Kherbit Al Halaweh, Kherbit Al Mirkez, Kherbit Janba, Khallet Al-Dab’a and Kherbit Sarura. Eight of these villages, with around 1,000 residents, face eviction. The Israeli decision to target the aforementioned Palestinian communities comes with regard to previously issued military orders, namely military order number 271 which was issued in 1968 and designates the southern Hebron hills area along with other areas in the occupied West Bank as “Firing or combat Zones”; and the Israeli military order number 378 which was issued in 1970 and declares the area as “Closed Military Zone” to prohibit Palestinian building and development in the area. For more information about “Firing Zones” in the occupied West Bank, click here: Ecstasy vs. Siesta: Israel Ecstatic vs. International Community Siesta & the Two-State Solution RIP. See Map 1

Map 1: the Israeli so-declared “Firing Zone 918” 

To conclude,

Israel designates vast areas of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank as Military areas or Combat zone while the fact that Israel seeks to reserve this land for future settlement expansion despite the fact that it is undermining the Palestinian Urban expansion and development. Additionally, Israel continues to displace Palestinian communities in the aforementioned areas and targeted their structures in violation of international law, with an overall Israeli state policy to impose facts on the ground, and drive Palestinians out of the area to make room for its colonial plans.  

Prepared by:
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem