Israel plans massive land takeover in Hebron Governorate
” The construction of Bypass Road 60 – Plan No. 901/20 “

Since the beginning of April 2016, the Israeli machinery and bulldozers affiliated to the so-called Israeli Civil Administration (ILA) commenced the construction of a new bypass road on lands of Halhul town in the northern Hebron Governorate. The work being implemented on the ground is part of plan No. 901/20 which states the construction of a new Israeli bypass road that extends all the way from Al Arroub refugee camp north of Hebron to reach Halhul town, through lands of Beit Ummer.

Last month, employees of the ILA came to the site and placed signs on lands of the aforementioned communities indicating the route of the new bypass road in the area.  See Map 1

Map 1: The section of the Israeli bypass road to be implemented on lands
of Beit Ummer, Al Arroub Refugee Camp and Halhul communities in Hebron Governorate

Note that on the 10th of August 2006, the Israeli so-called Civil Administration published an Ad in Al Quds newspaper announcing the deposit of the master plan No. 901/20 of the Israeli bypass road No. 60, the section that bypasses the lands of Al Arroub Refugee camp, Beit Ummer and Halhul communities. The published Ad gave detailed information of the blocks and locations that will be affected by the implementation of plan No. 901/20 and it is as follows:-

See copy of the Ad published in Al Quds[1] newspaper.

Photo 1: The published ad in Al Quds daily Newspaper in 2006

Later on the 29th of September 2011[2], Municipality of Beit Ummer received a hard copy of the master plan No. 901/20,  which indicated the route of the new bypass road to be implemented on its lands as well as the lands of Halhul town and Al Arroub refugee camp. See Copies of the plan

Photos 2-5: plan No. 901/20 which states the construction of a new bypass road
on lands of Beit Ummer, Halhul and Al Arroub

Analysis conducted by the Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ) of the master plan No. 901/20 of bypass road No. 60 shows that the planned bypass road will extend a length of approximately 16 km, and will cause the confiscation of around 1276 dunums of  Halhul, Beit Ummer and Al Arroub lands.

A section of the planned bypass road (around 5 km of the total length) is set to replace an existing section of the Israeli bypass road No. 60 that passes through Palestinian built-up areas (of Halhul and Beit Ummer town), thus enabling Israeli settlers coming from Jerusalem and heading to Hebron (and vice versa) to replace their use of this section of the Israeli bypass road No. 60 with the new one (being constructed), as an “alternative route” in the future and without having to go through Palestinian villages.

To sum-up:

Israel is providing easy access and geographical contiguity to its own people in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) while doing so on the expense of Palestinian lands and properties.

Confiscating and expropriating of Palestinian lands dissects Palestinian communities from each other and aim to create a network of contiguous Israeli bypass roads within the West Bank territory in order to facilitate the movement of Israeli settlers to and from their settlements while seizing and razing of Palestinian-owned lands and destroying their properties.

The Israeli violations in the oPt are  illegal and constitutes a breach of the International Law and Human Rights conventions, such as:

Article 53 & 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 indicated that: Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, is a grave breach of the Convention.

Art. 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 also provides: In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war

Also under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, Article 17 reads: 'No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.' Which means it bans Israel from destroying or confiscating the property of the Palestinians at any case.

[1] Bypass road 60 hit hard at Beit Ummer and Halhul fertile agricultural land
http://www.old.poica.org/details.php?Article=762

[2] Confiscation of Hundreds of Dunums for a Bypass in Beit Ummar and Halhul – Hebron
http://www.old.poica.org/details.php?Article=3214

Prepared by:  
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem