On the 20th of December 2011, the Israeli Civil Administration, accompanied by 10 military jeeps and two bulldozers raided Fasayel village in Jericho Governorate in the Jordan valley, declared the area as ‘closed military zone’ for about two hours and started their demolition campaign which targeted residential and animal barracks. The demolition process targeted several places in the village, but mainly focused in the central area of it, Fasayel Al-Wousta under various pretexts, (1) the properties were built in an area classified by the Israelis as ‘military areas’, (2) the properties were built without valid building license from the Israeli Civil Administration, and (3) under the pretext of being built over an archeological area, as stated by the officer of the Israeli civil administration. Table 1 gives details of the demolitions that took place in the village of Fasayel, in Jericho Governorate.
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Table 01: details of the demolitions that took place in the village of Fasayel, in Jericho Governorate.
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No.
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Name
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Facility
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Total Area
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Additional casualties
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Pop
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1.
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Omar Muhammad Ta’amrah
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Residential Barracks
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150 m²
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300 building bricks
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10
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2.
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Omar Muhammad Ta’amrah
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Residential Barracks
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150 m²
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Straw bales
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10
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3.
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Omar Muhammad Ta’amrah
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Green House
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150 m²
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Tomato crops
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10
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4.
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Sami Mousa O’byat
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Residential Barracks
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50 m²
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—
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6
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5.
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Imad Mousa O’byat
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Residential Barracks
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50 m²
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—
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6
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6.
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Imad Mousa O’byat
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Sheep Barracks
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28 m²
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15 sheep
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6
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7.
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Amjad Abdalah Ghazal
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Residential Barracks
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28 m²
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—
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3
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8.
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Hussien Yaseen Rashayda
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Residential Barracks
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60 m²
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—
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11
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9.
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Hussien Yaseen Rashayda
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Kitchen
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50 m²
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—
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11
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10.
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Hussien Yaseen Rashayda
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Residential Tent
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20 m²
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Supplied by Red Cross
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11
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11.
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Khadir Yaseen Rashayda
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Residential Barracks
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60 m²
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—
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9
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12.
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Khadir Yaseen Rashayda
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Sheep Barracks
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84 m²
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2 sheep were killed
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9
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13.
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Abed Yaseen Rashayda
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Residential Barracks
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60 m²
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—
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9
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14.
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Abed Yaseen Rashayda
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Sheep Barracks
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72 m²
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70 sheep – 6 killed
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9
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15.
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Abed Yaseen Rashayda
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Kitchen
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12 m²
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—
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9
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ARIJ Field Workers – 2011
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During the demolition, officers of the Civil Administration informed residents of the village that they are not allowed to build in the area, since it has many special classifications, including being classified as an Israeli archeological site, a military closed area, and ‘Area C’. Furthermore, the Israeli Officers told Fasayel Al-Wusta residents that they will be reloacted into Fasayel Al-Fouqa within the end of the year (2011), in a step similar to the one used against Al-Khan Al-Ahmar Bedouin Community in east of Jerusalem back in September 2011. For more information, click here to read: Forced displacement increases in East Jerusalem Bedouin communities: ‘Al Bu’ran Bedouin Community targeted with demolition‘ See Image 1& 2:
Image 1 & 2: copy of the military orders that were delivered to residents of Fasayel village in Jericho Governorate
Photos below show some of the destruction caused by the Israeli bulldozers in the village of Fasayel, in Jericho Governorate.
It is worth mentioning that the area of the Jordan Valley has been lately under an extensive demolition campaign carried out either by the Israeli Civil Administration or the Israeli Occupation Army. See Map 1 for more information. for more information.
Fasayel Village:
Fasayel, a Palestinian village located about 23 Kilometers north of the city of Jericho and is inhabited by 1132 residents (PCBS 2010). The village is surrounded by a set of illegal Israeli settlements from its northern and southern directions, which have limited the urban expansion of the village over the years as its urban area stands only on 194 dunums of land. In addition, these settlements have prevented villagers from exercising their normal lives.
Fasayel village is bordered by the Israeli settlement of Yafit and Pezael from the north, the settlements of Gilgal, Tomer and Netiv Hegdud from the South, and the Israeli bypass road number 90 from the east and a number of Israeli military bases from its west. Table 2
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Table 02: The Israeli settlements bordering Fasayel Village
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No.
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Settlement Name
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Date of Establishment
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Population
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1.
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Pezael
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1972 | 272 |
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2.
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Yafit
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1980 | 158 |
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3.
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Tomer
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1978 | 303 |
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4.
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Gilgal
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1970 | 171 |
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5.
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Netive Hegdud
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1975 | 177 |
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6.
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Total
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—
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1081
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ARIJ Database 2011
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Previous Israeli attacks against Fasayel village in Jericho Governorate
On June 14, 2011, more than 30 Israeli military vehicles, protected by two Israeli bulldozers, stormed Fasayel[ village north of the city of Jericho in the Jordan valley and demolished without prior notification, 26 residential barracks and tents owned by local Palestinian families in the village, in addition to confiscating the electricity wires in the area.
On the 9th of June 2010, the Israeli Occupation Authorities handed out residents of Fasayel village a number of military orders stating the evacuation and demolition of their homes and sheep barns and fodder stores allegedly for being built without proper building authorization from the Israeli Civil Administration due to their location in area C, which falls under the full Israeli control, according to Oslo II Interim Agreement of 1995.
On October, 21, 2009, the Israeli Occupation Authorities issued Palestinian residents of Fasayel village in the Jordan Valley 11 military orders notifying them to halt the construction of their shelters which are made of tin alleged for lacking proper authorization. The Israeli halt of construction orders came in sequence to series of demolition orders issued by the Israeli Army over the past few years in both villages
Conclusion
The Israeli campaign of house demolitions is carried out by the Israeli Army and obviously violates International humanitarian law, International conventions and various United Nations resolutions.
According to Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel is prohibited to demolish Palestinian houses under which provides that: ‘Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations’.
Under the same convention, Article 147 provides that ‘extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly’ is a grave breach of international law.
Moreover, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965) Article 5 provides that: ‘States’ or Parties must undertake to prohibit and eliminate racial discrimination in all of its forms and to guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, color, or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law, notably in the enjoyment of the following rights: (e) in particular … (iii) the right to housing’.
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[1] Israeli controlled road which links the Illegal Israeli settlements in the north with the others in the south
[2] “Ethnic Cleansing in the Jordan Valley” Demolition of an Entire Bedouin Community in Fasayel Village north of Jericho City. 16,June,2011
[4] According to the Oslo agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1995, Israeli forces redeployments were scheduled to take place so that by the end of year 1999, the Palestinians would gain control over 95% of the West Bank area; however, Israel did not comply with the signed agreements and proceeded to make delays on the transfer of powers and responsibilities relating to territory to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which led to only partial withdrawal from the Palestinian land. By March 2000, the areas under effective Palestinian control (area A) amounted to no more than 18.2 %; area B amounted to 21.8% of the total West Bank total area while the remaining area which constituted 60% of the total West Bank area remained under the full Israeli control and weren’t handed over to the Palestinians. Israel is illegally targeting Palestinian homes in areas under their control, which, according to the signed agreements, were supposed to be delivered back to the Palestinians.
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