Tag: House Demolition

Bedouin community endures demolitions

24 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On July 24th at around 1PM, a bulldozer accompanied by 10 military jeeps arrived in the Bedouin community of Mughayyar ad-Deir, about 12 km north east of Jerusalem, near the Ma’ale Michmas settlement and demolished residential structures, structures for livestock, and confiscated vehicles, displacing three families.

16 people were affected by this demolition, including children and a baby less than a year old, who were all forced to sleep on the ground that night with no shelter from the sun in the morning. The community had been issued two eviction orders: one was issued two years ago, the other 5 days before the demolition. Israel justified the demolitions by claiming the community was established on land that was a closed military area. Israeli further suggested that if the community had moved 10 meters or so to the other side of the dirt road, then the demolitions would not have occurred.

Israel justified confiscation of village tractors because they were not licensed. Confiscation of their tractors, according to community members, takes away their means of transporting water. It will also prevent them from transporting goods such as food or taking the goods they produce to be sold at markets. The community did not obtain licenses because of the price (1200 NIS per tractor). Of course now that they have been confiscated, they will have to pay fines if they want to get the tractors and the a trolley back.

After the families slept without shelter the night of the demolition, the neighbors constructed a small temporary wood and tin shelter so that the families would have somewhere to sleep. The Red Cross and the ICRC will be returning to the village with basic aid such as tents and perhaps hygiene kits.

Israeli military targets al Khalayla in demolitions

11 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

On Monday, July 11th, the Israeli military demolished 5 buildings of local Palestinian businesses in the closed neighborhood of al -Khalayla near al-Jib village outside of Jerusalem. At 6:30am the owner of a window shop received a call  from the Israeli military that part of his business’s building structure would be demolished. Not long after the phone call, he arrived to the shop to find that they had already finished demolishing part of the structure.

At around 8am, the Israeli military destroyed a lumber factory owned by the al-Asmar family for 8 years.  In the process they also took 4 lumber machines, in addition to demolishing part of the al-Asmar’s home that was attached to the factory. One of the sons
explained that the military had come one month prior to issue the demolition. He then mentioned that twenty people were occupying the residences before they were demolished. The police also accompanied the military in 3 Hummers.

Later that morning at 10am, the Israeli military demolished Ismail Abu Rabah’s supermarket. Four months prior they had come to the village to issue the demolition. Ismail explained that he had hired a lawyer to work on the case in Israeli court, but was not successful in suspending the demolition for a longer period of time. Ismail had only short notice before his supermarket was demolished. While he was able to move refrigerators, shelves and products from the store into his home before the Israeli military arrived, the destruction of his business has cost him his livelihood.
In the late morning and early afternoon, the Israeli military demolished buildings of a mechanic garage and a truck and storage company. The owner of the garage explained that the military had arrived only one week before to issue the demolition. At approximately 1pm, structures of the Nasr storage and truck facilities were demolished. One of the sons, Tilal, explained that their equipment and storage structures were damaged, including a tractor owned by the family.

Al-Khalayla is located in Area C on the Jerusalem side of the Apartheid Wall. It is inhabited by about 700 Palestinians, 250 of whom hold West Bank Palestinian ID cards. Approximately half of Palestinians holding West Bank IDs are registered as refugees with the UNRWA.

12 people left homeless in Khallet Sakariya

5 July 2011 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

At 6 am this morning the Israeli military demolished a water cistern and one house containing 12 persons, 6 of whom are children, in Khallet Sakariya. The military arrived with 13 cars and more than 55 soldiers as well as a bulldozer. The family had not received a warning of the demolition. The children living in the house were deeply traumatized by the event and one was taken to the hospital. The family is now forced to live on the grounds of their demolished house or in nearby caves, with little access to water and no access to electricity.

The house was one year old and the community had appealed its demolition order in court. Usually it takes five years before the appeal is handled and demolition can occur,” a UN official claims. The “legal grounds” for the unexpected demolition are unclear.

The house was on the edge of a valley close to the illegal settlement Allon Shevut. In the area around Khallet Sakariya there are four villages surrounded by illegal settlements. According to one of the villagers the village is exposed to daily harassment by the settlers. On the night between the 26th and 27th of June a farmer got crops of up to 10 000 shekels worth destroyed by the settlers, as well as a stenciled message of “Kill the Arabs” written on her land. The old woman had farmed the land for three years and this was the first time she got any product from it.

67 people displaced following demolition of Bedouin village by Israeli army

20 June 2011 | International Solidarity Movement

A Bedouin girl plays amongst possessions scattered by the Israeli Occupational Forces

On June 20th at 7am a Bedouin village, south of Hebron in Khirbet Bir al’Idd was struck down with Israeli bulldozers destroying seven tin homes and several other sheds and tents. The Israeli army and border police arrived to demolish the homes claiming the area was classified as a closed military zone because of “illegal” building taking place.

There was no warning of the demolition in advance. Following the destruction of the village,  67 people were left homeless and displaced, including a large number of children. They also confiscated many possessions including mattresses and pillows. The mobile water source was damaged as were electricity wires. The toilet was also completely was destroyed.

Villagers reported that the Israeli army threatened that they would return in three days to take down the remaining animal tents and check no rebuilding had occurred. The army apparently told the villagers they should live in natural caves, awaiting a court order on land ownership and whether they can reconstruct the village.

Two blindfolded and detained by Israeli military in illegal demolition near Al Hadidya, Jordan Valley

11 June 2011 | Jordan Valley Solidarity

At 3pm yesterday 2 army jeeps carrying 8 soldiers came to the home of the Oudeh family. They demanded that the family take down their tent house and their two animal shelters. The army did not present the family with a demolition order or any other documents requiring the family to leave their land.

The Oudeh family live near Al Hadidya, in the northern Jordan Valley. Al Hadidya is in the shadow of Roi’i settlement, and adjacent to an army training area. While the family is originally from Hebron, they have lived near Al Hadidya since before the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967.

Talib Oudeh, the father of the household, refused to demolish his own home. He and his son Tariq were handcuffed, blindfolded and taken outside. Two of the women from the family were also detained. The soldiers spent over an hour taking down the family’s tent and animal shelters.

Once the soldiers had destroyed the family’s home, which is their only source of shelter from the sun, Talib was taken to the military camp near Hamra checkpoint and was detained for a further 2 hours while Tariq was taken to Tayaseya checkpoint . Both remained blindfolded and handcuffed for the duration of their detention, and neither received food or water.

Tariq was released from the checkpoint to make his own way home, while Talib was driven back to his destroyed home in an army jeep. Waiting at the site where his home used to be were a police car and a military jeep. Talib was questioned and told he had a problem with the Israeli intelligence, something he knew nothing about. The police informed him that he has until Sunday to move out of the area or they will return with the civil administration to remove him, his wife and children by force.

The family has has resurrected their tent despite the threat of eviction, and is waiting to see if the military will return on Sunday. Yesterday’s incident is yet another example of the Israel military’s zealous will to ethnically cleanse the Jordan Valley.