Land eviction order in Al-Mafqara –Hebron governorate

• Violation: serving land eviction orders.
• Date: November 6 / 2018.
• Perpetrator: The Israeli occupation civil administration.
• Location: in Al-Mafqara – East Yatta –Hebron governorate
• Victims: Ahmad and Khaled hamamdeh families.

Description:

On November 6, 2018, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued an eviction order for a plot owned by Ahmad and Khaled Hamamdeh. The order entitled immediate eviction order was issued by the so-called Israeli Occupation Civil Administration.

Photos 1+2: The order

Photo 3: The owners of the plot receiving an evacuation order

Affected farmers said : “a Civil Administration vehicle showed up; they served the order and informed that we must evacuate within 45 days”.  The Israeli Army claims that the targeted lands are ‘state property’. By evacuating the plot, the occupation means to demolish all structures and uproot trees to return it to its status before the reclamation, in case the owners pass the dead line, the occupation authorities will ravage the land and make the owners pay for the operation’s expenses.

The targeted land belongs to:

1. Ahmad Hamamdeh , supports a family of (3)/
2. Khalid hamamdeh, supports a family of (9).

The target plot is 5 dunums in area. It was rehabilitated in 2016 on the owners’ own expense. And planted with (40 olive trees , 20 almond trees, 10 vine trees, 150 forest plantations)

Photos 4-7: the targeted plot

The owners also constructed a water cistern (90 m³) and two rooms of masonry and bored a cave in a rock to rest inside them during working days, In addition to a siege surrounding the plot.

Noteworthy, The targeted plot is only few hundred meters west “Afi Ghal” settlement, that’s why the Israeli occupation authorities attempt to evict Palestinian owners, on purpose of carrying out colonial projects.

Al-Mafqara:

It is a primitive residential gathering that is 17km away from Yatta. Its population is about 150 people, distributed in 22 families and governed by a joint village council shared by Al-Mafqara and Al-Tiwani nearby. The borders of Al-Mafqara are:

• From the north there is “Khafat Maaoun” colony
• From the west there is “Afi Ghal” colony and a by-pass no. 60′
• From the south there is “Yaqoub Dalia” colony
• From the east there is “Maaoun” colony

The townspeople depend on agriculture and livestock breeding as their sources of income. No modern services are available in the village.  It is worthy to indicate that the Israeli occupation evicted the townspeople and other residents of villages near bypass no. 60’ and transferred them to the northern side of the bypass.

Legal Feedback:

The policy of the Israeli occupation authorities   of confiscating Palestinian is a violation of all  international conventions  and agreements like:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

“Article 2. 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.”

 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Article 17: ” (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.”