المكتب الوطني للدفاع عن الارض ومقاومة الاستيطان منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية
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By: Madeeha Al-A’raj
The National Bureau for defending land and resisting settlements ( nbprs ) stated in its latest weekly report , that the Israeli occupation government actively exploited the remaining hours of Trump’s existence in office to confiscating Palestinian land, demolishing Palestinian citizens’ homes and their properties so as to construct more and more housing units in the settlements in order to create a de facto in the West Bank, particularly in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Valley’s areas as it did over the last years. Thus, the occupation authorities demolished a complete housing complex there under the pretext of being located in an ‘Israeli firing areas. The demolition has extended to 76 dwellings, foundations, sheep barns, and solar cells to 11 Palestinian families there. Moreover, 15 Bedouin families were told to leave their homes in Khirbet Abizq, during which tractors, water tankers and their vehicles were confiscated. As for the village of Al-Khan Al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem is still under threat as Netanyahu and Gantz recently discussed the demolition of the village. It seems that the fate of the village is to be destroyed and its inhabitants will be expelled.
Within the context, Israeli settlement leaders in the West Bank start pressing PM Netanyahu to implement sovereignty and annexation plan, and not to wait the outcome of the US election. Yossi Dagan, president of the so-called ‘Samaria’ Settlement Council’ said that Netanyahu should declare the application of sovereignty immediately, without waiting for the political developments in the United States, it is easier to take steps when a pro-Israel president sits in the White House. For the Israeli citizens, it doesn’t matter who will be in the White House, Biden, Trump or anyone else. Israeli Knesset member, Buttleel Samotirich called for exploiting the presence of Trump in office. He added, if Trump loses, we will have to press Netanyahu to apply sovereignty before Biden reaches office.
The UN criticized the demolition and described the occupation acts as a “serious violation” of the International Law. According to OCHA, the Israeli Authorities have demolished 689 buildings throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of this year, and made it clear that the occupied West Bank is experiencing the largest demolition over the last few years. 869 Palestinians were displaced and left homeless. For his part, the EU spokesman Peter Santo denounced Israeli forces’ destruction of more than 70 buildings this week, including residential facilities, means of living and sewerage, owned by 11 Palestinian families that have 41 children in the village of Hamsa Al-Foqa, north of the Valley including buildings that were financed by the European Union, especially in the light of the current pandemic of the Corona virus.”
According to several sources, it is clear that more Palestinians have lost their homes this year in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem than the previous years since 2016. In the first 10 months of this year, the 218 Palestinian homes were demolished and 798 displaced including 404 minors. Moreover, 301 buildings and non-residential facilities were also destroyed by Israel during the same period including humanitarian needs such as wells, water lines and the electricity grid, which all are necessary for the health of the population.
Within the context, the Israeli government is considering a recommendation made by the Civil Administration to a comprehensive survey of the West Bank lands in an attempt to annex as much land as possible to the settlements. After the survey, it determines either to keep them as private lands or left land to be declared later on as a state lands. It was noted that hundreds of thousands of donums declared by the occupation as left uncultivated long ago, and thus declared state land. For their part, the former Israeli Minister of Justice, Ilit Shakif, expressed her support for this ‘settlement’ of the territories, and the Government’s Judicial Adviser, Effihai Mendelblit approved it, and the recommendation was transferred to Netanyahu’s office, and the Ministry of Defense.
List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Demolishing Amjad Idris house in the Al-Ashqaryia Neighborhood in the Beit Hanina village under the pretext of not having a building permit, raising the number of the demolished houses up to 14 since the beginning of this year.
- Demolishing several horse barns and a cement floor in the Jabal Mukaber, south of Jerusalem.
- Notifying to demolish two houses in the Al-Isawiya town in Jerusalem belonging to the two brothers Saif and Mahmoud Ramadan Ubaid, who live in the same building in the AlObeid Neighborhood in the Al-Isawiya village. Besides, demolishing agricultural rooms, uprooted trees and bulldozed the eastern lands of the Al-Isawiya town.
Hebron:
- Demolishing a house under construction near Al-Khaldiya area belonging to the Dababseh family at the Mosafer Yatta, south of Hebron.
- Attacking El-Hajj Mufid al-Sharbatti house in the Al-Shuhada Street, and assaulted the workers who came to repair his house, attacked the students of Cordoba Elementary School which is surrounded by settlement and military barriers.
- The Israeli settlers continue their violations against the Palestinians property in the Old Town of Hebron, especially those in the areas declared as “military closed” for more than two decades.
- The gold market located between the Shuhada and Old Shalah streets witnessed many Israeli violations by settlers who reside in the Debbouya settlement, taking advantage of the security closure imposed on the area.
Nablus:
- Stealing dozens of seedlings from a nursery in the Al-Sawiya village, south of Nablus belonging to Moh’d Ibrahim Khatib, located on the road between Nablus and Ramallah. It was previously reported that the Israeli settlers targeted the nursery more than once as was documented by the monitoring cameras, threatened to remove the Palestinian flagpole erected near the Antiquities Square in the Sabastia town, claiming that it provokes the settlers, knowing that the flagpole is located in area B.
- Notifying to bulldoze a secondary road in the Asira al-Qabaliya village, south of Nablus, used by farmers to access their lands.
- Cutting dozens of 60 years old olive trees in the Jalod town and in the Ainabos village, south of Nablus.
Qalqilya:
- Placing cement blocks instead of barbed wire fence around 500 donums of land located in the northern western part of Qalqilya, extending into the 1984 lands to block landowners from entering their land with the aim of seizing it by force.
Jenin:
- Attacking citizens’ vehicles on Jenin and Nablus road and damaged them causing injury to their owners, who were admitted to martyr Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin.
- Breaking into Al-Bir area in Zbobba village, west of Jenin, and threatened a number of citizens living there to demolish their houses.
Jordan valley:
- Bulldozing private lands in the Khirbat Makhal for citizens from Tubas located at the entrance of ‘Hamdat’ settlement, to build barns for raising poultry.
- Expelling Palestinian shepherds during grazing their cattle in the open pastures east of the Ein El-Helwa in Northern Valleys.
- Breaking into the Al-Borj, Al-Matia and Al-Farsi Gatherings, notified a number of families to evacuate their houses by next Tuesday and Wednesday under the pretext of military training, knowing that the number of families living there is 14 families.
- Notifying Nimr Abu Alya, from Farsi area to evacuate his house and remove three tents claiming that military tanks would pass through the area.
