Violation : Issuance of orders to stop work and construction in eight residential structures
Location: Beit Ummar, Hebron governorate
Date: 25/12/2013
Perpetrators: Inspection Subcommittee of the Israeli Civil Administration
Victims: Members of Abu Ayyash family
Details:
On December 25, 2013, the Israeli occupation authorities delivered orders compelling civilians residing in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, to stop work and construction in their eight homes under the pretext of unlicensed construction in the classified area "C" according to Oslo Accords.
The property owners of the targeted houses asserted that a large force of the Israeli occupation army accompanying officers of the Civil Administration have broken into the area of "Aroud al-Qarin", east of the town, where they hanged the orders on the targeted structures and took pictures of them before leaving.
According to the orders, the structures lack a building permit and thus a halt of any construction work is deemed necessary. 27/01/2014 was set for a court session of the Inspection Subcommittee to consider whether to "demolish the houses or return them to their previous status." The orders also stated that "owners can apply for a building permit at the District Planning Department but that does not ensure they will be granted one."
The following table shows the targeted homes and affected citizens by the last military orders in Beit Ummar:
| Property owner | Family | Area / m2 | Year of construction | Status of structure | No. of floors | Order | Photo |
| Ghazi Abu Ayyash | 8 | 120 | 2013 | Under construction | 2 | A | 1 |
| Zeydan Abu Ayyash | 5 | 80 | 2007 | Used for animal husbandry | 1 | B | 2 |
| Fayiz Abu Ayyash | 10 | 120 | 2010 | Under construction | 1 | C | 3 |
| Ali Abu Ayyash | 4 | 130 | 2008 | Inhabited | 1 | D | 4 |
| Mahmoud Abu Ayyash | 7 | 150 | 2003 | Inhabited | 1 | E | N.A |
| Ahmad Abu Ayyash | 8 | 200 | 1 | Under construction | 1 | F | 5 |
| Fakhri Abu Ayyash | 5 | 80 | 2007 | Amendment of old house | 1 | N.A | 6 |
*Source: Field Research- Monitoring Israeli Violations Team- Land Research Centre (LRC).
Commenting on the legal side of their case, the owners of the threatened homes pointed out that they are preparing the needed documents and seeking the help of Saint Yves Organization to defend their properties and file objection against the orders. However, the civilians expressed worry that the Israeli occupation authorities hardly give building permits for Palestinian structures and thus their applications too might be rejected.
Within the same context, the authorities delivered a stop-work order to Isam Abu Ayyah on his 2-dunum piece of land under the pretext of being within "Israeli nature reserve".
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
