On January 2, 2011, the Israeli Occupation Forces as well as Inspectors of the so-called “the Israeli Civil Administration” handed over Palestinian residents of Khirbet Ibziq, northeast of the city of Tubas, 16 military orders notifying the owners to evacuate their residential structures and the area they live in under the pretext that the area is classified as a “closed military area”, thus, their existence in this land is considered Illegal. According to the military orders, the owners of the structures have 72 hours to evacuate their residential structures and animal barns, otherwise; they will be forcibly displaced and their structures will be demolished by the Israeli Occupation Army .See table 1 below:
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Table1: Table of the Owners of the Threatened Structures
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Owner of the Threatened Structures
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Family Members
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No. Threatened Structures
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‘Ali Mohamad ‘Ali Jabareen
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10
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2
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Mohamad Youseph Jabareen
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14
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2
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Abdel Karim Nasrallah Hrub
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10
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1
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Mousa Nasrallah Hrub
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7
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1
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‘Imad Nasrallah Hrub
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7
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1
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Nimir Mousa Hrub
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3
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1
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Nael ‘Ali Khalil Hrub
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10
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2
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‘Adel Nasrallah Hrub
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8
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1
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Mohamad ‘Ali Nasrallah
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9
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1
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Daher Mahmoud Salim Abu Zahu
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7
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1
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Ka’dan Mahmoud Salim Abu Zahu
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12
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1
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‘Ali Nasrallah Hrub
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3
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2
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Hayel Hussein Turkman and his 2 Sons
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19
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3
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Amjad Mohamad As’ad Hrub
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7
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1
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Youseph ‘Awad Ahmad Hrub
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9
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1
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Khalid Mahmud Hrub and his 3 Sons
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19
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4
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Nabil Mahmoud Hussein Ighbayya
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4
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1
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Ahmad Fayez Ahmad Naghnageya
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10
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1
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Mohamad Fayez Ahmad Naghnageya
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8
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1
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Total
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176
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28
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Source: Kherbit Ibziq Village Council 2011
Photo 1 & 2: Copy of the Israeli evacuation Orders
Map 1: Location of some of the threatened structures in Kherbit Ibziq
It is worth mentioning that the 16 Israeli military evacuation orders actually targeted 28 structures owned by 24 families, most of which are residential.
Khirbet Ibziq is a Palestinian village in Tubas Governorate, located 6 km north of Tubas city, in the north eastern part of the West Bank. It is bordered by Bardala village to the east, Raba to the west, the Israeli segregation wall to the north, and Tubas city and Tayasir village to the south. The village is populated by 250 residents (Kherbit Ibziq village council 2011). The total area of Ibziq village is 14,000 dunums; this covers approximately 3.5 % of the Tubas Governorate’s land area. 34 dunums only are classified as the ‘built up’ area, whilst 1500 dunums are agricultural, 3000 dunums have been confiscated by the Israeli occupation, and the rest are forests and grazing lands.
To Conclude
The Israeli Occupation Authorities justify its illegal demolishing of Palestinian houses mostly by security needs or for lacking of valid building permits, and accordingly, the Palestinian families are displaced and left homeless. On the other hand, the Israeli authorities intensify the building in the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The demolition of the Palestinian houses by the Israeli occupation authorities are Illegal and contradict with the International law rules and conventions.
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Articles 53 & 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 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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Also Art. 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 also provides: In addition to the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially 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 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.
