February 2020 Demolition and Displacement Report

credit: ISM

 

During the month of February 2020, at least 41 structures were demolished in the occupied Palestinian Territories (including East Jerusalem) by Israeli forces, displacing at least 72 people- including 26 children- and affecting a further 191 people[1]

All the demolitions and confiscations were carried out on grounds of lacking an Israeli-issued building permit, other then the demolition of a house in Jenin (on 6 February) that was carried out as a punitive act. Most of the demolished structures supported agricultural, herding and commercial livelihoods.

Full list of Demolitions:

• On 1 February, 2020, a Palestinian family was forced to self-demolish their home in Jabal al Mukabbir, East Jerusalem. The house was built ten years ago on the family’s privately-owned land. Seven years ago the family received a demolition order against the house and they retained a lawyer. In February 2019, an Israeli court ruled in favour of the demolition, and fined the family 35,000 NIS. The court ordered the family to obtain a building permit until the end of the year, or else the demolition will go ahead. In a desperate attempt to obtain an Israeli issued building permit, the family consulted with local planners who discovered that the Jerusalem municipality is planning to build a tunnel on the family’s 4-dunum of private land, as part of the Eastern Ring Road route. The family reported that no one from the Israeli authorities had approached them to ask their permission, or authorization to use their land. With no way to receive the Israeli-issued building permit, the family of seven were forced to demolish their own house, leaving them displaced.[2]
• On 1 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish their home in Ath Thuri, East Jerusalem. The elderly couple have been living in the small house for the past six years. After several years of their case pending in court, during which the family payed multiple fines, an Israeli court ruled in favour of the demolition and gave the family 14 days to demolish it themselves, or have the Israeli authorities do so. Two people have been displaced as a result.[3]
• On 4 February, 2020, personnel from the Jerusalem municipality along with Israeli forces demolished a house, a shaded yard and parts of a concrete wall in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem. According to the family, they didn’t receive any demolition order prior to the demolition, against the house that was built in June 2019, on the family’s private land, or against the concrete wall that was built 25 years ago. One man has been displaced.[4]
• On 4 February, 2020, personnel from the Jerusalem municipality along with Israeli forces demolished a concrete wall in Jabal al Mukabbir, East Jerusalem. The wall was built in January 2020, and immediately had a demolition order issued against it. The family retained a lawyer, but the wall was demolished before they exhausted any legal attempts. Two people have been affected.[5]
• On 4 February, 2020, personnel from the Jerusalem municipality along with Israeli forces demolished an under-construction residential structure in Jabal al Mukabbir, East Jerusalem. A family of three has been affected.[6]
• On 5 February, 2020, a Palestinian family had to self-demolish an under-construction stairway, built as an extension to their house in Al‘Isawiya, East Jerusalem. A family of six, including four children has been affected.[7]
• On 5 February, 2020, the Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) along with Israeli forces demolished and confiscated three structures in Deir Qaddis, Ramallah. The structures included: a recycling workshop (that had two units), and a container that was used as an office. The workshop was built at the begging of January 2020, and immediately received a demolition order against it. An appeal against the demolition order was rejected by an Israeli court. Two families, consisting of eight people, including four children have been affected.[8]
• On 6 February, 2020, Israeli forces demolished the entire unrecognized Bedouin village of al- Aragib, in the Naqab desert, Southern Israel, for the 173rd time.[9]
• On 6 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces demolished two agricultural structures, and a retaining wall in the Al Hijra community, Hebron. During the demolition Israeli forces damaged several wooden shacks, used to sell vegetables. Four households consisting of 14 people, including four children have been affected.[10]
• On 6 February, 2020, Israeli forces demolished a house in Jenin city. The house was first demolished in April 2019, as a punitive act against a family that one of its members has been accused of taking part in an attack against an Israeli settler in 2018. The second demolition has once again displaced the family of seven, including two children.[11]
• On 9 February, 2020, a Palestinian family from Jabal al Mukabbir, East Jerusalem, had to self-demolish their home. The house was built in 2017, and received a demolition order against it the same year. The family took the case to court but lost their appeal and were ordered to self-demolish until 10 February, 2020, and pay 45,000 NIS in fines. A family of four, including two children has been displaced.[12]
• On 9 February, 2020, Personnel from the Jerusalem municipality and Israeli forces demolished an under-construction extension (a room and a bathroom) to a residential house in Ath Thuri, East Jerusalem. The family were given a demolition order in December 2019, and were ordered to self-demolish. Although the family did self-demolish the structure, the Jerusalem municipality was not satisfied with the family’s demolition and decided to demolish whatever remained of the structure. A family of seven, including five children has been affected.[13]
• On 12 February, 2020, Israeli forces demolished and confiscated two structures used to shelter animals in Khirbet Tana, Nablus, in an area designated by the Israeli military as a “closed military zone”. Two families consisting of 14 people have been affected.[14]
• On 12 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces demolished and confiscated an uninhabited residential structure in Al Jiftlik abu al Ajaj, Jericho. The family reported they did not receive a demolition order prior to the demolition. A family of three has been affected as a result.[15]
• On 12 February, 2020, Israeli forces demolished the entire unrecognized Bedouin village of al- Aragib, in the Naqab desert, Southern Israel, for the 174th time.[16]
• On 12 February, 2020, Israeli forces demolished a park and a wedding hall in the town of Ein Mahil in the Upper Galilee, North Israel.[17]
• On 12 February, 2020, Civil Administration personnel came with military jeeps and a crane truck to the community of Tal a-Smadi northwest of the village of al-Jiftlik, in the Jordan Valley. Sixteen families live in this community, 13 of them permanently and three on a seasonal basis. The Israeli forces dismantled and confiscated a shack that housed a family of three, including one child, and delivered a “warning order for cessation of antiquity destruction” to four other families.[18]
• On 13 February,2020, Israeli forces demolished a house, a mobile latrine unit and a water tank in Jabal Jares, Hebron city. The donor-funded structures were given to the family after their house was demolished a year ago. A family of seven, including two children were displaced for the second time, and most of the family’s belongings were buried under the rubble.[19]
• On 14 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish two under-construction concrete bases in Silwan, East Jerusalem. The family started the building in October 2019, and received a demolition order in January 2020. During a court session, the family reported that the judge ordered them to demolish the house. A family of six, including four children was affected.[20]
• On 16 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish their house in Jabal al Mukabbir, East Jerusalem. According to the family, personnel from the Jerusalem municipality verbally notified them (while they were carrying out a demolition of a nearby house) that they must demolish their house or risk a fine. As a result, three households comprising 11 people, including five children have been displaced.[21]
• On 16 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces demolished an agricultural structure in At Taybeh, Hebron. The structure was built in January 2018, and a stop-work order was issued the same month, although a demolition order was never served to the owner. Two families comprising of 17 people, including 13 children have been affected.[22]
• On 17 February, 2020, personnel from Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, arrived with Israeli Civil Administration officials, military jeeps and two bulldozers to Khirbet ‘Alan, located in the Jordan Valley, southwest of the village of al-Jiftlik, and is home to about 50 families. The forces disconnected pipes that supplied water for domestic and agricultural use in the community.[23]
• On 18 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish their house and a storage room in Ras al Amud, East Jerusalem. The house was built after the family had their previous home demolished in 2017. A family of six, including four children was displaced.[24]
• On 19 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces confiscated a residential caravan in Birin, Hebron, that was inhabited by two elderly women. The two women have been displaced as a result.[25]
• On 19 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces confiscated a caravan in Susiya, Hebron, that was used as a classroom, adjacent to the local school. 47 students and 16 staff members have been affected.[26]
• On 22 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish an extension of their house in Ras al Amud, East Jerusalem. According to the family, the extension included a bedroom and a living-room, built in September 2019. The family received two demolition orders against the structure, that was already demolished once in the past. A family of six was affected, and two people, including one child were displaced.[27]
• On 25 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish their house in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem. The family started to build the house in November 2019, and moved into it in January 2020. The same month they received a demolition order, and a month later, the Israeli court ruled in favour of the demolition. As a result, a family of five, including three children was displaced.[28]
• On 26 February, 2020, a family was forced to self-demolish an extension to a residential building in Shu’fat, East Jerusalem. The two-storey house was built as an extension to a residential building in January 2019. The family received the first demolition order in January 2019, they retained a lawyer to follow up, and received a final demolition order in January 2020. A family of two was displaced.[29]
• On 27 February, 2020, Personnel from the Jerusalem municipality and Israeli forces demolished a residential building, a garage and a retaining wall in Al Walaja, located in an area defined by the Israeli authorities as part of the Jerusalem municipal boundaries. As a result, a family of four, including two children was displaced and two other families comprising of 15 people, including six children were affected.[30]
• On 27 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces demolished a house in the Ar Rakeez community , Hebron. The structure was located in an area declared by the Israeli military as a firing zone (918). A family of nine, including three children was displaced.[31]
• On 27 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces demolished a house in the Umm Fagarah community, Hebron. The structure was located in an area declared by the Israeli military as a firing zone (918). A family of three was displaced.[32]
• On 27 February, 2020, the ICA along with Israeli forces demolished two structures used to shelter animals in the Isfey al Fauka community, Hebron. The structures were located in an area declared by the Israeli military as a firing zone (918). Two families, comprising of 21 people, including 11 children were affected.[33]

 

Legal Updates

“The Court Ruled to Evict Another Eight Families in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan, East Jerusalem- 6 February, 2020

Around a week after the ruling ordering the Nasser Rajabi family to leave their home (three families with 22 persons),the Magistrate’s Court ruled last week that the Duweik family would have to evacuate its house in favor of settlers in Batan al-Hawa until August 2, 2020 (five families with 26 persons). Yesterday,the Magistrate’s Court ruled that the Shweiki and Odeh families should be evacuated from their house by August 15, 2020 (three families with 19 persons).

The lawsuits are part of a series of dozens of eviction lawsuits filed by people from Ateret Cohanim settlers group against some 84 Palestinian families living in the Batan al-Hawa in Silwan, putting a community of 700 people in danger of being evicted. The settlers’ claims are based on the fact that in the late 19th century the land was allocated by its Jewish owners to a Jewish trust for the benefit of the poor Yemenite Jews of Jerusalem. Today, in the name of the same trust, settlers seek to evict the Palestinian families who built their homes lawfully on that land after 1948.

Since 2015, 14 families have been evacuated from Batan al-Hawa. The three judgments this month ordered the eviction of another 11 families with 57 persons, and another some 80 other families are in court in eviction cases. In all cases of the past month, families intend to appeal to the district court, a procedure that usually takes several months to a year.[34] (for the full report and background- https://peacenow.org.il/en/the-court-ruled-to-evict-another-8-families-in-batan-al-hawa-silwan)

 

References

[1] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[2] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[3] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[4] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[5] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[6] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[7] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[8] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[9] According to the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality

[10] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[11] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[12] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[13] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[14] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[15] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[16] According to the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality

[17] According to the Palestinian Information Center

[18] According to B’tselem

[19] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[20] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[21] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[22] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[23] According to B’tselem

[24] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[25] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[26] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[27] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[28] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[29] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[30] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[31] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[32] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[33] According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian Territories

[34] Published by Peace Now 6 February, 2020