On May 2, 2011, the Israeli Occupation Army handed over local residents from Hebron Governorate 20 military orders issued by the “Israeli Custodian of Absentee Land Property in the Israeli Army” notifying them to evacuate their lands. According to the orders the owners of the targeted lands must evacuate their own lands and to remove and dismantle all what exists on the land, which according to the warning notices includes but not limited to trees, infrastructure installations, or anything else, under the pretext that the lands area is “State Land.” It is worth mentioning that the threatened lands are located south of Al Fawwar Refugee camp near Dura town west of Hebron Governorate.
The first piece of lands located in Jabal Al Qrei’ area near Dura and owned by the local residents:
1. Jibreel Mustapha Abdel Hadi Al-Sarahneh
2. Khalid Hassan Ahmad Al-Sarahneh
3. Amjad Mohammad Jaber Al-Shedfan
4. Fareed Mohammad Abu Al-Hajj
5. Areef Mohammad At-Titi
6. Sameer Mohammad ‘Ateyya Hleqawi
7. Sufian Mohammad ‘Ateyya Hleqawi
8. Thurayya Rabah Hleqawi
9. Abdel Ra’ouf Sufian Al-Janazreh
10. Nabil Ahmad Suleiman
11. Tawfeeq Naji ‘Amr
12. Yousif Ahmad Abdullah Al-Qawasmeh
Mr. Jibreel Al-Sarahneh one of the owners of the threatened lands and in an interview with ARIJ field workers indicated that the total area of the targeted lands are 36 dunums; planted with olive and almonds trees, in addition to 6 agriculture water wells along with two residential houses and one agriculture barracks in the lands and according to the military orders these wells must be demolished.
The second piece of lands are located in Ar-Rihieyyeh area south of Al Fawwar refugee camp and owned by the local residents:
1. Mousa Khalil Mousa Al-Tubasi
2. Ahmad ‘Ateyya Ahmad Al-Tubasi
3. Mohammad Salman Ahmad Al-Tubasi
4. Issa Suleiman Ahmad Al-Tubasi
5. Ahmad Khalil Mousa Al-Tubasi
6. Isma’eel Hamad Yousif Al-Tubasi
7. Ziad Hamad Mousa Al-Tubasi
8. Tayseer Hamad Mousa Al-Tubasi
In an interview with ARIJ field workers Mr. Ahmad Al-Tubasi one of the owners of the threatened lands indicated that the area of the targeted lands is more than 300 dunums cultivated with Olive and almonds trees. Moreover, there are 12 agriculture wells constructed in the lands were the funding for the wells came from the European Union through a project executed some before three years by the “Palestinian Agriculture Relief Committees”. See the map below:
Map of the targeted lands
Mr. Al-Tubasi added that that the owners of the targeted lands have the official title deeds of the land (Turkish and British Tabo) which prove their ownership of their lands.
Photocopies for part of the Military Orders
Dura is a Town located 6 km west of Hebron city in the southern part of the West Bank. Dura is bordered by Taffuh town from the north, Deir Razeh village to the south, Beit ‘Awwa town, the Illegal Israeli settlement of Nega’ot along with the Armistice Line of 1949 to the east, and Hebron city as well as the Illegal Israeli settlement of Hagai to the west.
The total area of Dura town rounds to be 38,276 dunums, of which 7,100dunums constitute the town’s built-up area. The town is populated by 27,466 residents (PCBS 2010).
To Conclude
The Occupation State of Israel is using various ways and means to plunder as much as possible from the Palestinian owned-lands to the interest of its colonial and expansionist plans using unconvincing and illegal pretexts in an attempt to legalize and justify its Illegal confiscation of the Palestinian lands.
The Israeli seizing of the Palestinian owned lands are Illegal and is a grave breach to the International law rules and conventions mainly:
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Article 53 & 147 of the same convention 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 other public authorities or social or cooperative organizations is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.’
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In addition, Article 23 of The Hague Convention, which provides that: ‘it forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy’s property, ‘unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war’.
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Moreover, and 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.
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Also International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights/ entry into force 23 March 1976, article 12 reads: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
[1] Nega’ot: Illegal Israeli settlement established in Hebron Governorate in 1982, over 247 dunums of lands. The settlement has a population of 194 settlers.
[2]Hagai: Illegal Israeli settlement established in Hebron Governorate in 1984, over 990 dunums of lands. The settlement has a population of 552 settlers.
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