- Violation: demolishing homes and an agricultural facility.
- Date of violation: 02/09/2020.
- Location: Jinba – Yatta town / Hebron governorate.
- Perpetrator: the so-called Israeli Civil Administration.
- Affected people: Mahmoud and Fadl Rabei.
Violation details:
On Wednesday, September 2, 2020, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished two residential rooms and an agricultural facility owned by citizens in the village of “Jinba” in Masafir Yatta, south of Hebron, under the pretext of building them without a permit.
Just before noon, a force from the occupation army and the so-called border guards and the Planning and Building Department of the Civil Administration raided the village, accompanied by workers belonging to an Israeli civil company, a bulldozer produced by VOLVO company, and another one produced by JCB company belonging to an Israeli civilian company as well.
After the occupation soldiers had surrounded the site of the two rooms and the fodder store which belong to brothers Mahmud and Fadel Isa Rabe’i, the company workers accompanying the occupation authorities emptied the two rooms of their assets and property, as they removed the citizens’ luggage from the rooms and dumped them in the open, and they, also, emptied the store from its contents, then the demolition was carried out.
Photos 1-3: Demolition scene in Jinba
The first destroyed room is 40 M2, built this year of concrete walls and roofed with tin sheets and houses a family of 4, including 2 children.
The second room is, also, 40 M2, built this of brick walls and roofed with tin sheets, and houses 8 family members including 5 children.
The third demolished facility is 120M2 fodder store built in 2011 of tin sheets and owned by the aforementioned two brothers used for calve fattening.
In addition, four solar energy panels, installed on the roof of the fodder store were damaged by the Israeli saboteurs.
It should be noted that the village of Jinba, located in Masafir ( eastern slopes) of Yata, is one of many Palestinian villages vulnerable to displacement, as the occupation seeks to demolish the homes of citizens there in favor of colonial projects and in favor of military use because it comes within the Israeli announced firing zone No. 918.
Legal Commentary:
The demolition of Palestinian homes and installations by the occupation authorities is part of their violations of international and humanitarian law, and a violation of a right of Palestinian citizens guaranteed by international law and international treaties, which is the right to adequate housing, within the following articles:
- Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that “Destruction and usurpation of property in a manner not justified by military necessities, in an unlawful and arbitrary manner. These are grave breaches of the convention.”
- Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1948 prohibits the destruction of property, as this article states the following: “The occupying power is prohibited from destroying any fixed or movable private property related to individuals or groups, the state or public authorities, or social or cooperative organizations. Unless the war operations inevitably require this destruction.
- Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed.
- Paragraph ‘g’ of Article 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 AD also warned against destroying or seizing the enemy’s property, unless the necessities of war necessarily require such destruction or seizure.
- Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dated December 10, 1948 states that “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property”.
