29th November 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Deir Ballut, Occupied Palestine
The demolished house (photo by ISM).
On Thursday morning at five am, the Israeli army demolished a house under construction, and left the area before the owner Ghaneem Mahmoud Abdullah Al-Karim or other villagers were able to arrive at the scene. It is believed that the Israeli forces conduct these activities so early in the morning in order to avoid nonviolent resistance from the villagers. This was the first house to be demolished in Deir Ballut but there are over sixty houses that have been served demolition orders from the Israeli army.
The village is over five hundred years old, and within the Oslo Agreements the village was literally split between Area B and Area C. There are over a hundred and eighty houses that now fall within Area C and therefore are under threat of demolition. The inhabitants of Area C need permission from the Israeli government to even refurbish their houses, which is often impossible to get.
Deir Ballut (to the left of the map) is in risk of being surrounded by the annexation wall. The red line is the wall today while the black marks the planned route (source: OCHA).
The majority of Deir Ballut, as with other villages in the area, is classified as Area C and is controlled by the occupation forces. Many villages in the Salfit area have lost land to settlement and to the construction of the separation wall. Deir Ballut has lost 2,000 dunums which was confiscated when Israel built the Apartheid Wall, and the intended reassignment of the Wall which is to be carried out in coming years will mean that the village will lose even more land and is surrounded by the wall.
As Deir Ballut’s population increases, families are forced to build in Area C, as is the case for the Al Karim family. The villagers are committed to continue constructing homes on their land, and to help Ghaneem and his family to rebuild their house.
10th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Huwwara, Occupied Palestine
Maher from the village of Huwwara close to Nablus, is one of many Palestinians who has been tricked into thinking that Palestinians have the power to issue building permits in areas labelled as ‘B’ under the Oslo accords.
Maher on his land, where he was planning to build his house (Photo by ISM)
Maher owns land designated as ‘B’ and so applied to the Palestinian Authority for planning permission to build a house to provide for his children when they grew up. The permission was accepted and he obtained the relevant documents and paid the relative charges to proceed. The land the house was going to be built on was being used as a rubbish tip and so he started to clear the land in order to build the house. For six months he cleared the land and dug the foundations of the house before Israel issued a stop work paper in early July. Maher was surprised by this, especially when the reason for the stop work order being issued was because of Israeli claims that the land was Area C. Maps obtained show that the proposed structure is in area B but Maher has no choice but to challenge the decision in the court if he wants to continue building.
Maher’s house map issued by the PA (Photo by ISM)
Maher, skeptical of the result of the court system speaks of his frustration and the inevitable expense, ‘I don’t have much money to build, then Israel comes and stops it. I don’t have money to risk if Israel will target it.’
The land is on the outskirts of a built up area of houses and Palestinian residents and so it is not clear why Israel is prohibiting the building of the property as there are no ‘security’ concerns of the occupation near by.’There’s just Palestinians here . No army , no settlers, nothing prohibiting us from building’ says Maher.
Stop working order (Photo by ISM)
Since he received the stop work order, the site neighbouring his was also given a stop work order on their property that was nearing completion. Israel as the occupying power has to provide for services, infrastructure and allow for new accommodation for the inhabitants but almost universally rejects planning permission in area C. Maher’s land is in area B and so under the agreement where the Palestinian Authority and Israel have joint control, the permission granted by the Palestinian Authority should be sufficient to build the home. Similar cases of this denial of permission and dismissal of Palestinian Authority permits due to claiming that the land was area C, has happened in the village of Sarra.
Since the stop work order, the land that was dug and cleared has began to fill with rubbish again. Maher is still determined; ‘If I build, I’ll make it like a park.’
Under the Oslo agreement the occupied territories in the West Bank were divided into areas A, B and C. A small amount of area designated as ‘A’ gives full power to the Palestinian Authority to administer in civil and security matters. Land designated as area ‘C’ is under full Israeli military control where the occupying power has to provide security and services for all the inhabitants. Area ‘B’ is agreed to be under joint control by the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
27th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Susiya, Occupied Palestine
Today, June 27, 2013, the Israeli Civil Administration served thirty-four demolition orders in the Susiya village, which is in Area C and surrounded by the Israeli colony of Suseya. Due to previous demolition orders, every existing structure in the village is now threatened with destruction if they do not obtain permits by July 17.
Original copies of all the demolition orders served today (Photo by ISM)
The residents of Susiya include more than thirty families, who were all evacuated from their homes in the old Susiya village and forced to relocate 200 meters to the southeast, in 1986. Susiya residents collaborate with the nearby villages in Masafer Yatta, a closed military “firing zone,” also in Area C and threatened with demolition. On July 15, a hearing will decide whether all the villages in Masafer Yatta can be evacuated by the military. Hafez Huraini, leader of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee and himself a refugee from 1948, emphasizes that the villagers in Susiya are targeted simply for existing, so everything they do from grazing sheep to visiting family members in the nearby city of Yatta draws violence from the Israeli military and the local settlers.
Susiya has faced six mass demolitions since the establishment of the Israeli Suseya colony in 1983. The last wave of demolitions in 2011 repeatedly displaced 37 people including 20 children [1]. Residents of Susiya, most of whom rely on subsistence agriculture, are subject to some of the worst living conditions in the West Bank. Their houses were destroyed by Israeli forces and they now live in tents and shelters, paying more than five times the price nearby villages pay for water and consuming less than 1/3 of the WHO standard per capita [2]. Settlers have violently denied Susiya residents access to over 300 hectares of their land, including 23 water cisterns. Documented cases of settler violence include beatings, verbal harassment and destruction of property. Settlers then annex parts of the land by exploiting the Palestinian owners’ inability to access their land.
Of over 120 complaints that have been filed based on monitoring from Rabbis for Human Rights, regarding settler attacks and damage to property, around 95 percent have been closed with no action taken. In 2010, when 55 Susiya residents petitioned the High Court to be granted access to their land, the State responded that it intended to map land ownership of the area. Since then they have only closed to settlers 13% of the land Palestinians have been denied access to, reversing only one incursion [3].
Susiya has been the site of creative non-violent resistance for years, resistance that is continually met with brutality. Events have included marches, picnics on land likely to be confiscated, and Palestinian “outposts.” This coming Saturday Susiya will be part of a festival in the South Hebron Hills aimed at raising awareness about the situation of Masafer Yatta residents and stress their right to remain on their land [4]. In the words of Hafez Huraini, coordinator of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee, “We will not give up.”
Sources:
[1] Strickland, Patrick O. “Palestine’s Front Line: The Struggle for Susiya.” Palestine Note RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 June 2013.
[2] “Susiya: At Imminent Risk of Forced Displacement.” Susiya: At Imminent Risk of Forced Displacement – OCHA Factsheet (30 March 2012). N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 27 June 2013.
19th June 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Sarra, Occupied Palestine
On Monday 10th June Israeli occupation forces in jeeps visited six homes in Sarra and left demolition orders that affect the lives of around fifty people all with young children. The homes have been declared ‘illegal’ under Israeli planning law, claiming that they are within Area C which is under full Israeli civil control. They were all given planning permission by the Palestinian Authority (PA) who are allowed to issue permits under the occupation as part of the Oslo Accords from joint administration in land labeled as Area B.
Right paper land ownership, left paper building permit by PA (Photo by ISM)
Sarra a village in the Nablus area with a population of around 4000 falls under the territory of area B. The village is surrounded on three sides by land of Area C and on one side reaching back to Nablus it joins with Area A. As the village expands, there becomes a lack of space for new homes and planning permission is very rarely granted in Area C.
The threat of demolition is due to the Israeli belief that the homes fall under the boundary of Area C, but the families involved believed the land to be in Area B and paid costs and were granted permission from the PA. One home owner affected, Mustafa Durabi said ‘If I had known it was Area C I would not have built here. I have other land but here is nice and quiet that is why I build here.’
Although the homes are very close to the border with Area C, some other homes are closer or just as close, but have not been issued with demolition orders. The homes facing demolition house new families, new couples with children at the start of their lives together. The families have invested all their money into the homes, to which a council member from the village says ‘It’s like their dreams are going to be demolished too.’
The families are in deep shock and are challenging the ‘decision’ in court on the 9th of July at Bet El settlement. The village think that the recent demolition orders are in response to plans to resist against an approved construction of an electrical transformer station in the land of Area B of the village.
Durabi family (Photo by ISM)Homes threatened with demolition (Photo by ISM)
28th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Al-Aqaba, Occupied Palestine
Al-Aqaba, a village with the smallest local council in the West Bank, continually rises above its size and situation by demonstrating community strength through non-violent resistance and proactive development. Since 1967 the village has suffered greatly under the Israeli occupation and faces constant military encroachment and the threat of building demolition. As a result, the original population of 1000 has decreased to the current size of 300 as people left fearing for their safety and livelihoods. The remaining villagers though, led by mayor Haj Sami Sadeq, remain steadfast in their desire to stay and make the village a viable place for people to return to and live. Together they have created a development strategy resulting in new homes and businesses with the help of international involvement and funding.
Local women work in the newly opened cheese factory in al-Aqaba.
Located in the northeast of the West Bank, on the edge of the Jordan Valley, the village and surrounding land is classified as Area C and, therefore, under complete Israeli military control and civil jurisdiction. The Israeli army have been a constant presence in the area since 1967, when the village was declared a closed military zone and has been subsequently used as a firing zone. A mock village of empty buildings within a kilometre of the village was constructed and is utilised for this express purpose. The military exercises conducted in and around the village at times include the use of live ammunition and, as a consequence, 8 villagers have been killed and 38 wounded.
The villagers not only live with the continual disregard of their right to safety and security by the Israeli occupation but have the right to build on their own land repeatedly denied. Labelled a security threat, 97% of the village’s buildings have demolition orders against them, including the kindergarten, the only one in the area, that provides education for 150 children. In the past two years, the Israeli army has demolished several homes, farming shelters and two major roads. The village is unable to obtain building permits for its own land and has had three master plans rejected by the Israeli Civil Administration, most recently in 2011. The village nonetheless refuses to bow to the ongoing pressure of the Israeli occupation and continues to build infrastructure and houses for its future.
Local man at work in the new tea factory in al-Aqaba.
Mayor Haj Sami Sadeq responds to this ongoing struggle by asking, “Is the security of Israel compromised if we want to build a building? Does this kindergarten threaten the Israeli security?” The kindergarten in question was built in conjunction with the Rebuilding Alliance, one of 17 different international organisations and embassies that the village has worked with to help rebuild the community over the past ten years. The Rebuilding Alliance, together with the local Housing Association, have also helped to build three, of a proposed twenty, houses to provide residence for some of the 700 displaced villagers who want to return. Unfortunately the three houses remain unfinished as the $13,000USD required to finish them promised by the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not been forthcoming because of the PA’s current financial situation.
The Housing Association is one of five local groups in al-Aqaba helping to create a stable future for the small community; the other groups at work are the Agricultural Co-op, the Rural Women’s Society, Club for Hope and the Village Council. The Rural Women’s Society helps to operate and run a sewing collective, a tea factory and a newly opened cheese factory. The new businesses create employment for local men and women and are part of a plan that includes the future creation of a herb nursery, restaurant/cafe and conference space that will make the village an even more attractive place to visit.
The distinctive double minaret of al-Aqaba mosque.
In 2010 a building in the village was renovated to create a guesthouse to provide accommodation for international visitors, including volunteers who have worked at the kindergarten teaching English. This has helped to counter the negative portrayal of al-Aqaba by the Israeli government and army, who have warned internationals that the village is dangerous and their medical insurance will be void upon entering. One current residence of the guesthouse Maurice Jacobsen, is currently filming the everyday life and situation for a future documentary on the village titled ‘Constructive Resistance’.
In spite of the daily violations of their basic human rights to dignity, security, housing and property the village persists by building hope and life. In this way the small village has become a model for others in community development and how to attract attention from the international community. The ultimate goal has always been to prevent the village from being demolished and for the villagers to live and build on their land in peace. With current demolition orders for it, one only has to look at the village mosque which has a double minaret in the shape of a peace sign. The only one of its kind, it is a permanent symbol of the village’s non-violent resistance when living under occupation.
