Israeli Occupation Forces Delivers Tens of Stop Work and Demolition Orders in Idhna Town

Israeli occupation forces issued a number of Stop Work and demolition orders calling for halting building in a number of residential houses and agricultural establishments in the town of Idhna located 10 kilometers west of the City of Hebron.

Houses under the threat of being demolished:-

The total number of issued orders is 27 including 3 demolition orders against inhabited houses belonging to the following:

The following pictures are of the houses threatened with demolition along with the relevant demolition orders:

Photo 1: The house of Mr. Sa’oud Ahmad Hasan Sleimiya

The demolition order1

Photo 2: The house of Mr. Maher Salama Ahmad Awad

The demolition order  2

Photo 3: The house of Mr. Rizq Salama Ahmad Awad

The demolition order 3

The head of Idhna Municipality, Mr. Jamal Al Tmaizy, indicated to Land Research Center’s field researcher the following: ' The town of Idhna is being targeted by Israeli occupation forces. The threatened houses have been inhabited for more than ten years. The Municipality of Idhna provided electricity, water and roads to these houses. The new orders form a new attempt by the occupation forces to cause mass transfer of Palestinians. We deplore such policy and we call upon right organizations as well as the Palestinian Authority to pressure Israel to back down from its demolition decision.'     

Mr. Tmaizy also emphasized that the Municipality has no jurisdiction in Area C and that the town (population: 20,000) is in desperate need for further expansion due to the natural growth of its residents. He also indicated that the Municipality is currently working with the affected residents to get the needed documents to file an appeal against the new orders in front of Israeli courts as such orders create a housing crisis in the town and limits its further expansion. Adding to the complications faced by the town, indicated Mr. Tmaizy, is the fact that the town has lost 18,000 dunums of its lands in the year 1952 as well as 4,000 dunums for the benefit of the Israeli Racist Isolation Wall.

About 15 of the 27 orders target houses and agricultural bruxes some of which has chicken and egg farms. Mr. Sa’adi Abu Zalata, an owner of one of threatened chicken farmers, pointed out that occupation forces fight Palestinians in their livelihoods.

Photo 4: A chicken farm that was issued a Stop Work order in the town of Idhna

One of the children living in a threatened house expressed his fear of the possible demolition of his family’s house. He indicated that the current house setting is very modest and that it doesn’t accommodate all of his family members. He also alluded to the fact that his entire family was looking forward to finishing the new house. Yet, this dream of moving to a new house can be killed at any moment after the demolition order was issued by the so-called “Civil Administration”. 

Photo 5: One of the children whose house received a demolition order.

Houses receiving Stop Work orders:

The following table lists the owners of houses that received Stop Work orders along with other relevant information:

Order Number 6

Order Number 5

Order Number 6

To follow are pictures of some of the houses that received Stop Work orders:

Photo 6: The house of Mr. Ahmad Mahmoud Abu Daqqa

Photo 7: The house of Mr. Yousef Mahmoud Abdullah Al Batran

Photo 8: The house of Mr. Sameer Mohammad Yousef Al Batran

Photo 9: The resdeince places of Mr. Khalil Diab Hussein Al Jiyawi

Photo 10: The house of Mr. Amjad hilmi Ragheb Nofal

Photo 11: The house of Mr. Awad Hilmi Ragheb Nofal.

Income Generating Structures that received Stop Work Orders:

The following table lists structures that received Stop work orders on the said day:

Here are some pictures of structures that received Stop Work orders:

Photo 12: The house of Mr. Rashed Yousef Abdullah Al Batran

Photo 13: The house of Mr. Abdel Hafez Awwad

Photo 14: A structure owned by Mr. Khaled Azmi Mohammad Jabara.

Orders 7 to 8: threatened Palestinian houses in Idhna town.

The residents of Idhna have also indicated that an additional 10 other houses have received in the past Stop Work orders including the houses of:

• Mohammad Issa Nofal – Inhabited house.

• Na’eim Nofal Islimiyya – Under construction house.

• Jafar Musa Islimiyya – Inhabited house.

• Ala’a Musa Islimiyya – Inhabited house.

• Sa’adi Al Shammali – Inhabited house.

Mr. Jafar Islimiyya pointed out that a committee was formed by the owner of the threatened houses to face up to the orders. The Committee hired the legal services of Al Quds Land Defense Legal Office in Ramallah which is currently working on indefinitely postponing the execution of the orders. He expressed, though, that not much hope is placed on the cooperation of Israeli occupation authorities without a political decision that would change the status of Area C to make it under the authority of the Palestinians. 

Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC