Tag: Qalqilya

21 Home demolition orders, activists to maintain presence in Izbat at-Tabib

Internationals solidarity activists to start presence in Izbat at-Tabib in response to 21 home demolition order
by the ISM Media Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 April 2007

Izbat at-Tabib, Qalqilia—The 226 Palestinian inhabitants of Izbat at-Tabib experience daily incursions by the Israeli Army. Checkpoints are often set up around the village and jeeps have entered in the daytime and evenings, with soldiers demanding to see I.D. cards and arbitrarily questioning and harassing Palestinian residents. Now, these residents are being threatened with home demolition orders.

Izbat at-Tabib has received a total of 21 demolition orders for homes, barns and for the service centre which is still under construction. The inhabitants of Izbat at-Tabib, the refugees from the village of Tabsur, who often live in houses of corrugated iron and cement blocks, have been applying for building permits since 1991. All their applications have been denied. Yet, they have received documentation stating that they will be evicted from Izbat at-Tabib and forced to move into the neighboring village of Azzoun. On March 1, 2007 the village received an official letter indicating a new plan for the construction of a settler road through several houses in the village.

According to Bayan Tabib, resident and mayor of the village, on April 13, the level of harassment and violence of the daily incursions increased. After 8 p.m., the Israeli army entered the village of Izbet At-Tabib, imposed a curfew and established checkpoints around the village, preventing anyone from entering or exiting. Tabib said that 20 houses, nearly half the houses in the village, were raided, and residents forced outside. Twenty-five men and fifteen boys, some reportedly as young as four or five years old, were forced to line up with hands tied behind their backs for one to two hours facing a wall off the main road of the village. The reason the army gave for the incursion, according to Tabib, was a complaint by a settler that stones had been thrown on to the main road. The men were told that the village would be punished for any rock thrown, regardless of who was responsible.

Tabib said that the soldiers left on the evening of April 13 and threatened that “this was only the beginning and the next time would be worse!”

In response to the threat of further violent incursions and home demolition orders, the mayor of Izbat al-Tabib, on behalf of the village council, has invited international solidarity activists to establish an international presence in the village. Starting this Wed., April 25, internationals will begin their presence in Izbat at-Tabib.

Tabib said that he “hopes that with international witnesses it will be difficult for the soldiers to act violently.”

For more info, contact:
IWPS at 09-251-66-44,
ISM at 02-297-18-24, 0599-943-157
Bayan Tabib at 0599-436-832.

IOF Harrassment in Izbat at-Tabib

IOF Harrassment in Izbat at-Tabib
by Tom Hayes, 18 April 2007

The village of Izbat at-Tabib, in Qalqillya region, has been undergoing constant harassment by the IOF this week. The army has entered the village every day, often setting up flying checkpoints close to the village.

Two days ago the IOF ordered all residents to leave their houses while they searched people’s homes. One resident said that local people were forced to stand outside in the cold facing the wall with their arms raised for over two hours.

The 250 residents of Izbat at-Tabib live in constant fear of their houses being demolished. The village is unrecognized by the Israeli military authorities, despite th fact that it has been lived in since before 1967. Most houses in the village, situated in Area C, have been issued demolition orders. Although none of the planned demolitions have taken place they could happen at any time. The villagers have not improved their houses as a result and most live in basic accommodation.

The residents of Izbat at-Tabib are calling for international support in the face of continued army harassment.

Enclosing the village of ‘Azzun ‘Atmah and separating its residents from their farmland

by B’Tselem, December 19th

‘Azzun ‘Atmah, a village with 1,800 residents located southeast of Qalqiliya, lies three kilometers from the Green Line (Israel’s 1967 border). The settlement Sha’are Tikva was built just east of it, on lands belonging to residents of the village. The settlement breaks the territorial contiguity between the village and two neighboring villages, Beit Amin and Sanniriya. On its western border, the settlement Oranit was built.

The separation barrier in this area was completed in October 2003. The barrier separates the village from the rest of the West Bank and places it in the “seam zone,” the area between the barrier and the Green Line. Residents of the village reach other parts of the West Bank through a gate in barrier, which is open from six in the morning to ten at night. Only residents of the village and Palestinians with Civil Administration permits are allowed to use this gate.

In addition to the barrier, the government decided to surround the village on all sides with another barrier, completely isolating the village within an enclave. The entire route of this additional barrier was approved in principle, but so far the state has only issued orders requisitioning land to enable construction of the section of the barrier south of the village. This section lies north of Route 505. Half of the section, 1.75 kilometers, passes through the village’s land, a distance of about one kilometer from Route 505. The other half passes near the roadway. Construction on the section began on 10 November 2006.


Arial photo of the village of ‘Azzun ‘Athmah and it’s surroundings. Source: Bimkom

Turning ‘Azzun ‘Atmah into an enclave will seriously harm the wellbeing and livelihood of the residents. Until the second intifada, some of the villagers worked in Israel . Since then, about eighty percent of the villagers have been working in agriculture. The new barrier separates the village from 2,000 dunams of cultivated farmland, half of which is owned by village residents and half by residents of Beit Amin, Mas’ha a-Zawiya, and Sanniriya. These lands will be enclosed between the southern segment of the barrier and Route 505. Almost certainly, access to these lands will require a permit and will only be possible during the hours that the barrier gates are open. Past experience indicates that gates are not always open as scheduled. Restricting access to the farmland will inevitably lead to a decrease in farm production, impediments to marketing of the produce, and a decrease in income.

Even assuming that a barrier around the village is intended to meet security needs, these needs do not justify building a barrier through the southern section of the village and across the villagers’ farmland. Also, it is unclear why this barrier is to be built one kilometer from the Green Line, thus separating the village from much more of their land. The state could have avoided the harm caused by cutting off access to farmland and isolating the southern neighborhood of the village by building a tunnel for the settlers under Route 505, in the section running parallel to the village’s southern neighborhood.

In any event, the justifications for this section of the barrier based on the need to protect close to or on Route 505 are unconvincing. There have not been any incidents of violence by residents of ‘Azzun ‘Atmah against settlers in the area or against motorists on Route 505. In fact, as in many other cases, the route was selected to enable expansion of the settlements near the village – Oranit and Elqana – and establishment of a new industrial zone.

Given that the barrier’s route is illegal and given the grave infringement of human rights the present route causes, Israel must dismantle every section of the barrier located inside the West Bank . If Israel believes that a physical barrier is needed for security reasons, it may run it along the Green Line, or inside Israel . Until the authorities dismantle the relevant sections, B’Tselem calls on the government of Israel to:

* cease construction of the southern section of the additional barrier at ‘Azzun ‘Atma;
* dismantle the section already built, and enable the residents free access to their land;
* return land that it requisitioned to build the barrier;
* open the gate in the separation barrier north of ‘Azzun ‘Atma around the clock and enable the residents to reach other parts of the West Bank and to carry on a normal life.

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For a report on an Azzun Atma farmer’s attempt to resist annexation of his land click here.

Azzun ‘Atma Farmer Resists Land Annexation

by the ISM media team, December 6th


a construction boss with court documents and DCO official talking to Sameh

Azzun ‘Atma farmer Sameh Yousef scored a small victory in his struggle against the theft of his land today when the IOF pledged to erect a fence on the edge of his field rather than 15 metres inside it. The IOF is constructing a second wall around the village of Azzun ‘Atma, 2 kms from the Green Line between the Israeli colonies of Sha’are Tikva and Oranit.

The IOF originally intended to ghettoize Sameh’s land by building a fence on its edge beside a colonialist road, but yesterday construction workers accompanied by soldiers appeared and began digging up his field 15 metres from the road. Sameh grows potatoes and corn on this land. Sameh protested as he had been previously assured the destruction would take place on the edge of his land. When 2 local human rights workers arrived they were threatened with arrest and the confiscation of their photographic equipment. Despite a 100-metre strip of topsoil and crops having been excavated and dumped beside the road Sameh was determined not to accept the loss of 27 dunums of his land and asked HRWs to accompany him the following day to non-violently resist this land theft.


topsoil from Sameh’s land dumped beside the road

Early this morning Sameh arrived at the scene with his two children and 8 HRWs, shortly before the arrival of the construction workers accompanied by the IOF. Once it was clear Sameh was not going to allow the annexation of his land, the DCO was contacted in order to clarify the original illegal order for the construction of the fence. After 6 hours of remonstrating, the DCO arrived to concede defeat in their attempts to annex Sameh’s land and vowed to construct the illegal fence beside the road on the edge of his land. The excavated topsoil and crops were transfered back to their original location.


DCO official and construction worker

Despite a fruitful day of steadfast resistance, it remains to be seen whether the soldiers will keep their word.

Home demolitions resisted in al-Funduq

by aspiringnomad, November 22nd

Five buildings were destroyed and three Palestinians were hospitalized by the Israeli military in al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya today. The Israeli army arrived at 5.30 this morning, allowing the occupants of homes just minutes to collect valuables and evacuate before their homes were demolished. The Israeli army claimed that the three homes and two agricultural structures were constructed without permits, despite ongoing court cases.

“I saw women convulsing and grown men weep…it was truly horrific witnessing the devastation of whole families’ lives”, said Alice from the International Women’s Peace Service.

Over a dozen Palestinians and international human rights workers climbed onto the roof of the third house in a show of peaceful non-violent resistance but were forcefully removed by soldiers who used excessive force, sound bombs and rubber bullets in an attempt to remove them. Seven people were shot with rubber bullets and three Palestinians were hospitalized.

International photographer Eric Bjarnaison said, “I was physically assaulted by soldiers who attempted to smash my camera”.

The Israeli military uprooted groves of olive trees, as well as breaking into other homes in search of “wanted” Palestinians. Material losses are estimated by municipal crews to run to over a million shekels. This area of Qalqilya lies close to Israel’s illegal annexation wall and the illegal colony of Qedumim, deep inside the West Bank.

Last week one person was killed and 30 injured during an Israeli house demolition near Qalqilya. Since 1967 Israel has demolished some 12,000 Palestinian homes, leaving over 70,000 without shelter.

The systematic demolition of Palestinian homes is an attack on an entire people, and an attempt to reduce Palestinians to a fragmented set of ghettos — under Israeli control.

Not only in densely populated urban areas where it is possible for some form of resistance to be mobilised, but even in small isolated West Bank villages: Palestinians continue to resist the Israeli occupation non-violently.

For more information contact:
ISM Nablus 059 907 6568
ISM Media Office: 02 297 18 24
Mob: 059 994 3157