Tag: House Demolition - Page 14 - International Solidarity Movement

Four families made homeless in a day

28th of April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement & Jordan Valley Solidarity | Fasayil, Jordan Valley, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday morning (27th of April 2015) at 5 am in the area of al Makhrouk, al Jiftlik, the Israeli military arrived with bulldozers and demolished four houses belonging to Fathe Abdullah Ahmad, Tareeq, Yakub, Mohammed and Mahmoud Lahafe Dadoub. The houses were located right next to the agricultural settlements of Masu’a and Argaman.

The first house to be demolished was owned by the Tareeq family, where Mohammed Abu Amer lived with his family of five. This was the second time in less than a year that their home was destroyed, despite not receiving a demolition order. As farmers of dates and vegetables they lived next to the land they were working on. Three of the family members are children aged 1, 5 and 3 years old.

Fathe Abdullah Ahmad Tareeq in front of Mohammed Abu Amers family's demolished home. — Fathe Abdullah Ahmad Tareeq in front of Mohammed Abu Amers family’s demolished home.

Their first house was demolished on the 10th of March this year. This house was built in August 2014, and received a demolition order straight away. After losing that house of 114 square meters containing bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, balcony and a barn built at the cost of 35 000 shekels (9000 US dollars) the family rebuilt the house. The second house was 50 square meters, consisting of a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom and cost 8000 shekels (2000 US dollars) to build.

When activists from Jordan Valley Solidarity and the International Solidarity Movement arrived at the site the family was already building a tent for shelter. They explained that just ten minutes before the army was there taking photos of them working. Ever since they rebuilt the house last month the family has been under heavy surveillance by the Israeli military, which has been looking for evidence of building work at least five times. The military came again last night, just hours before the demolition.

The father of the Tareeq family, Fathe Abdullah Ahmad Tareeq, has a house in the village of Jiflik. This was also demolished. Instead of the previous breeze block structure, this time it was rebuilt in tin.

At 5.40 this morning the army bulldozed the neighbouring houses of Yakub and Mohammed Lahafe Dadoub. Each of their houses had two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. The older parts of the house, (consisting of bathrooms and kitchens), was built of breeze blocks two years ago. When the families started building the other rooms out of tin 9 months ago the army came, took photographs of the houses and left a demolition order under some rocks outside their home. This was the only communication the family had received concerning the demolition. The family does not have a lawyer to represent them in the Israeli court. Their previous experience is that the Israeli court system systemically and deliberately discriminates against Palestinians.

Wreckage of the family homes of Yakub and Mohammed Lahafe Dadoub.

Yakub and his wife lived in their house together with their 1 month old and 2 year old daughters. Mohammed and his wife have five daughters between the age of 1.5 and 8. The houses were built for 50 000 shekels each (13000 US dollars) and it will cost more than that to rebuild. The family are determined to clear away the rubble from their demolished home and rebuild on the same spot again.

In a neighbouring house their brother Mahmoud Lahafe Dadoub lived with his family of 10, including 4 children. They built their house there to live closer to the family’s farm land in the Jordan Valley. The construction of the house cost of 30000 shekel (7500 US dollars). Today, after receiving a total of three demolition orders, their house was demolished for the second time. The family will rebuild the house on another part of their land, which will cost them the same amount again.

Mahmod Lahafe Dadoub on the spot where his family's home was. — Mahmod Lahafe Dadoub on the spot where his family’s home was.

93.4% of the Jordan Valley is in ‘area C’ (full Israeli control), with 37 illegal Israeli settlements, most of which are agricultural. The expansion of these settlements and the theft of Palestinian land and demolition of Palestinian homes are part of Israel’s policy of ethnic cleansing and colonisation of the most fertile and profitable areas of the West Bank. Whilst Palestinians are violently forced out of their homes and forbidden by law to build the smallest farmhouse, Israelis are encouraged to build both homes and businesses in area C.

Most Palestinian houses in the area have pending demolition orders. Meteyb Lahafe Dadoub, the father of the three brothers has 15 children, and in 2012 his son Ayman’s home was demolished three times (see article). The neighbouring houses of Mahmoud, and Mohammed and Yakub, (another son of Meteyb), also have demolition orders, in place since 2006.

(Left) The settlement of Masu'a's fences right next to the brothers demolished houses. (Right) Meteyb Lahafe Dadoub's family have faced repeated harassment from the Israeli army. — (Left) The settlement of Masu’a’s fences right next to the brothers demolished houses. (Right) Meteyb Lahafe Dadoub’s family have faced repeated harassment from the Israeli army.

The family had previously owned a successful agricultural export business, which specialised in exporting olive trees to the United States, Jordan and Gaza. Their business was ruined by Israeli restrictions that prohibited the export of their products.

When interviewed, Meteyb explained that the Israeli court usually does not care about the demolitions; even on the rare occasions when Israeli courts demand that a demolition order should not be carried out the army will sometimes still choose to continue with the demolition.

Journal: House demolition in East Jerusalem

27th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Al Khalil | East Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine

The family and internationals sitting around a fire during the night

This has been hard to write down. The three of us put off again and again the thoughts and fears of that day, to remember them and to finally write them down. We have been avoiding it, because it is easier to simply try and forget. But then at the same time, for us it was just this one night, whereas for the families living in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz this is everyday life.

An illegal demolition of the majority of the Amro-family home on the 31^stof March, 2015 left all the families in Wadi al-Joz scared for the future. If Israeli forces can just turn up one early morning and tear down half a family home without prior notice or any legal grounds, might this also happen to the other few families still living in this neighborhood?

On a Sunday night, the 18^th of April, 10 international activists and journalists as well as a few members of the Tutalji family sat outside the family’s home. It was a cold night but we had set up a fire to warm us up. The stars were shining and we were drinking tea and chatting. The children were asleep inside.

Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

The truth is, the atmosphere was filled with fear and despair. Only a few days earlier, the Tutalji family had received a demolition order for their house, home to Aref Tutalji, his wife and adult daughter, as well as twelve children, aged between 4 and 18 years. They were told the Israeli army would come to demolish their home at four o’clock that night. At very short notice the family now stood to be homeless. After seeing what happened to their neighbours, the Amro-family, the Tutalji family tried to store their life, their most precious belongings, in cardboard-boxes to be kept outside the home.

The Amro family told us that they wanted to get rid of the rubble of their house, but felt it difficult to do so due to their connection to the house. They felt attached to the rubble. The house of your family is not just four walls and a roof- it is your history. You feel the memories in the walls, and you know every corner and every crack, even if you are blind – as is the case with Nureddin, the father of the Amro family.

It was a long night; sitting outside the house, listening to the family’s stories, their fears and desperation. What are they going to do if their house, the only home they’ve ever known, gets destroyed? What kind of future would that bring for their children? Were they going to be killed by the army, that told them that, when they come, they “see nothing in front of them”? As a precaution, the family-dogs were given away and animal shelters were moved to the outer limit of their land.

Most of the family was unable to sleep that night. They were too scared they would wake up to their house being demolished or not being able to get out of the house fast enough. Listening to the family talk about their fears, not only for this night, but also for the longer run, it was hard to hold back the tears.

Earlier that night, the three of us sat down for a pizza in the old town of East Jerusalem – self-care, we called it. We went through possible scenarios for the coming night, scared and unsure of what was about to happen. What would we do, if the army immediately starts demolishing the house? Were people going to get hurt – were the children going to be beaten by the army, as happened during the demolition of the Amro-family’s home? It was good to talk about all the possibilities, but also hard to admit how scared we were of what might happen during this night.

We felt the frustration of the father who kept asking why this was happening to his family. Why did their house pose a threat to the Israeli state? Where were they going to sleep? What about the kids? He pleaded that he doesn’t hold grudges against Judaism, Christianity or any other religion, and told us that he wanted nothing more than to live in peace, side by side with his neighbours. But how can he live in peace when they come and ruin his home? These house demolitions are strange. After having lived for several generations on their land, these people are pushed out of their homes in order for Jews from Brooklyn to come and replace them. You have to wonder why.

In the early evening, we tried to get some sleep, but every time we heard the sound of a car driving past the house, we would sit up, turn our heads and look at each other, sure that now, they were coming to tear down the house. It would take some time listening to what was going on to realise that again, this was just a car driving past – until we heard yet another car. Next morning the Amro-family told us that having internationals stay with them meant they were able to sleep through the whole night for the first time for three weeks. Having stayed only one night, not being able to fall asleep dreading what might happen, we were able to understand that easily.

For us it was only one night. For the families living in this neighborhood, this is everyday life. Every night, the families wonder what to do, how to continue their life, if all their belongings are destroyed with their house. Every night, going to bed they are worried they might not have a house the next morning. Every night, they have to worry about getting beaten, to have their home – and their future – destroyed.

Maja, Siggy and Jenny.

House-demolition scheduled for Wadi al-Joz – Families call for support

18th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Al Khalil | East Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine

The Amro and Tohta families in the occupied East Jerusalem Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood are calling for international presence on Sunday, April 19. The Tohta family received a demolition-order for their house and were warned that the demolition will take place on Sunday morning at 4 am. As the majority of the Amro family home has already been illegally demolished, they are afraid that the remainder of their house will be leveled on Sunday morning. Both families ask for supporters to be present during the night from Saturday to Sunday.

Early in the morning of March 31, 2015, Israeli forces demolished part of the house lived in by Nuredin Amro and his brother, both of whom are blind and live with their families. There was no prior notice or demolition order and Israeli forces barely waited for the family to leave the rooms that were going to be demolished and physically attacked the family, including women and children. Since that day, the Amro family lives in the rubble of their house, crammed into the only remaining rooms, in constant fear of further demolitions.

The same morning, Israeli forces used the opportunity to also demolish animal shelters on the neighbouring Tohta family’s land. Only two weeks later, in the night of April 15, 2015 the Tohta family received a demolition-order for their house and was told that soldiers will come for the demolition Sunday morning at 4 am. With only a few days till the demolition and the holiday on Friday and Saturday, there is no possibility of taking any legal action against that demolition-order.

Both families are asking for supporters – Palestinian, internationals and Israelis to be present on the premises during the night from Saturday to Sunday. The Amro family, even though there is no demolition-order for their house, is worried that – just like before – what is left of the family home will be destroyed when Israeli forces are in the neighbourhood on Sunday morning. Supporters can either arrive at the family’s premises late Saturday night or very early Sunday morning. With part of the Amro family home demolished, they can not offer a place to sleep inside the house, on Sunday morning the roads to reach the neighbourhood are very likely to be closed by Israeli forces to prevent documentation of the demolition. Any person coming to show their support for these two families should try to bring recording equipment and cameras to document this aggression by the Israeli military.

Wadi al-Joz is located directly outside the Old City of Jerusalem, is in a vulnerable neighbourhood with three demolitions in the last three and a half weeks. Land across from this neighbourhood was already annexed by the Israeli authorities to create a national park encompassing an illegal Israeli settlement.

Contact for any further questions and coordinating supporters:

Jenny 0595824987

Home demolition in Jerusalem: “They want our land. We need help to protect it.”

1st April 2015 | Jerusalem, Occupied Palestine

Nureddin Amro and his brother Sharif Amro and their families were awakened at 5:30 am by over a hundred Israeli soldiers who came to demolish their home in the Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. Both men are blind. The brothers live with their ill 79-year-old mother, their spouses and children. Nureddin has three young children, Sharif has four; all are under 14. Israeli soldiers pointed their guns in through the windows of the house while the children were still asleep and cut the electricity and phone lines to the house.

“We were asleep. They banged on the doors and shouted. Soldiers completely surrounded the neighborhood. There were dogs and aircraft. It was frightening,” said Nureddin. “There was no advanced notice. No reason given. They announced that they came to demolish the house and they started doing it while we were still inside.”

Amro Wadi Joz wm — The Amro family stands in the rubble of their demolished home

Nureddin asked for time to go to court or the municipality for an explanation, but the soldiers refused. The soldiers assaulted the family, kicking Sharif and beating everyone, including the women and children. “They attacked us and locked us in one of the rooms. My son and brother were injured. They stayed for four hours and destroyed four rooms, the garden. They would not give us time to take anything from the rooms. All of our things, the children’s pets, their rabbits and chickens were killed under the rubble” Sharif was taken to the hospital after a soldier kicked the blind man hard in the ankle. Israeli forces refused to even let the family salvage their belongings before they tore it down.

Amro famil wmy — Members of the Amro family gathered beside the part of their home that is still standing

Nurredin is the founder and principal of the Siraj al-Quds School for visually impaired and sighted children in Jerusalem. He is a Synergos Institute Social Innovator and was recognized by the British Council for his leadership working for positive change and social development for people with special needs. According to Nureddin, there was no demolition order against the homes although there have been demolitions in the neighborhood before. They had received warnings a couple of months ago to clean up scrap wood, wires and materials that were around the house, and they did the cleaning as required.

While they were demolishing the rooms of the Amro family’s home Israeli forces destroyed a fence on the neighboring Totah family’s land, along with a shelter that housed a horse, chickens, and a dog. Soldiers also cut the family’s internet and broke the water line. The father of the Totah family was beaten, handcuffed, and arrested; he was later released.

Totah family land wm — The Totah family’s land after Israeli forces destroyed a fence and a shelter for animals

As of this writing, the part of the house that remains standing where Nureddin and his brother are staying with their families; still has no electricity, water, sewage or telephone services. Soldiers returned to the family’s home again this morning, moving the rubble that was visible from the street and threatening that they would be back.

Amro children wm — The Amro family children climb on the rubble – all that is left of four of their rooms

Israeli authorities have already annexed land across from the Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood, creating a national park which encompasses an illegal Israeli settlement. Local residents reported, speaking of the constant threat of settlement expansion under the Israeli occupation, that “they want to get rid of all the houses, all the neighborhood. They want to put their hands on this land from here to the Old City.”

Israeli forces detain a child and destroy four structures in the South Hebron Hills

21st January 2015 | Operation Dove | South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine

On January 20th, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian child near the village of Maghayir Al Abeed and demolished four structures in the Palestinian village of Ar-Rifa’iyya in the South Hebron Hills area.

At about 9.00 a.m. Israeli bulldozers started to tear down two houses and two animal shelters, belonging to the Palestinian Rabai family in Ar-Rifa’iyya. The demolitions affected a total of twenty-five people, included ten children.

The Municipality erected two tents to create temporary shelter for those effected, at least during the night. Only twenty days ago, on December 31, in the village of Ad-Deirat, close to Ar-Rifa’iyya, two settlers broke a window and threw a molotov cocktail inside a Palestinian-owned house, trying to burn it,

Ar-Rifa’iyya and Ad-Deirat villages are located in Area C, under full Israeli military and administrative control.

During the Ar-Rifa’iyya demolitions, Israeli army and police jeeps reached the area of Old Havat Ma’on Hill near the Palestinian village of Maghayir Al Abeed, where some young Palestinian shepherds were grazing their flocks. An Israeli soldier run to a Palestinian child, aged 14. The soldier chased away his flock, placed him inside the military jeep with one goat and detained him. After one hour, the Israeli army released him in a dangerous area between the illegal outpost of Havat Ma’on and the illegal settlement of Ma’on. In this place several times, Palestinians, including children, were attacked by Zionist settlers.

Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies stated that during 2014, Israeli soldiers arrested 1200 Palestinian children, a 60% increase from 2013, when 750 children were arrested.

Despite demolitions and arrests, Palestinians from South Hebron Hills are strongly committed to nonviolent and popular resistance against the Israeli occupation.

Operation Dove has maintained an international presence in At-Tuwani and the South Hebron Hills since 2004.

[Note: According to the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Hague Regulations, the International Court of Justice, and several United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements and outposts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Most settlement outposts, including Havat Ma’on (Hill 833), are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]

Contact for any further questions and coordinating supporters:

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