Violation: Plans to Judaize Umm Safa for the sake of expansion Hallamish
Location: Umm al-Safa village, Ramallah governorate
Date: 24/07/2014
Perpetrators: The so-called Supreme Council of Planning of the Israeli Civil Administration
Details:
On July 24, 2014, al- Quds Newspaper, on page 34, featured an announcement by the so-called Supreme Council of Planning/ Settlement Sub-Committee of the Israeli Civil Administration about the deposit of a detailed master plan no. (5/203) that announces the intention to use vast areas of Umm Safa forest, particularly within natural blocks no. 2 and 3, for colonial activities and expansion of the colony of Hallamish that includes the construction of public and governmental facilities that will serve the colony and its inhabitants.
Picture 1: General view of Hallamish
Picture 2: announcement
Forest of Umm al-Safa is under imminent threat of Judaization:
Umm Safa forest is spread over vast areas of the land of Umm Safa, Deir Nitham and an-Nabi Saleh villages, north of Ramallah. The land was planted with citrus trees and fruit before the British Mandate of Palestine. But since 1917, the land has been turned into a forest by being planted with pine and soon afterwards was declared a military area accommodating British army camps.
Within the Jordanian Monarchy (1948-1967), the area was still considered a closed military area where Jordanian camps came to settle in.
Since 1967, the Israeli occupation has included in its agenda the full utilization and control of the area. They ban Palestinians from using the area while allowing colonists to have access and have parties in it.
Many trees have been uprooted on multiple stages and bypass roads opened to better serve the Israeli occupation and its greedy aspirations for the area.
To serve the same end, the Israeli occupation is currently expanding the colony of Hallamish on Palestinian lands and at the expense of Umm Safa forest.
Palestinian forest and nature reserves in Oslo Accords:
The Oslo Accords are a set of agreements between the government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in a peace process that aims at reaching a 'peace-treaty'. The Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington on September 13, 1993 after secret negotiations in Oslo, resulted in mutual recognition between the PLO and the present-day Israel.
Area C was first delineated in the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self Government Arrangements, otherwise known as the Oslo I agreement, which divided West Bank territory into four separate areas (A, B, C, and nature reserve) put under different jurisdictions. Within these parcels of land, the Palestinian and Israeli authorities have different levels of control. The aim was that responsibilities and powers would gradually be transferred to the Palestinian Authority over time. This has not happened yet.
Nature reserve is under full Israeli control. Thus many natural sites like Wadi Qana and Umm Safa are subject to Judaization.
The Israeli occupation has given itself the right to change the environmental and geographic nature of the place which is considered a grave breach of all international laws and conventions as well as of the agreements signed with the Palestinian party.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
