Violation: confiscation of 318 dunums.

Date: May 2019.

Location: Birin village – Bein Naim / Hebron governorate.

Perpetrator: The Responsible on government properties at the Israeli occupation civil administration.

Victims: citizens related to Burqan family.

Description:

The Israeli occupation authorities released an announcement entitled “modifying the borders of state properties” , which informs the grab of (318) dunums  south Bein Naim at Hebron governorate.

Bein Naim municipality received a copy of the announcement attached by a map.

As the announcement says, The responsible on government properties in 1982 declared the plot as a state property, and confiscated it from its Palestinian owners, and in 2019 , the so called blue line commission modified the borders of the confiscated lands.

 The occupation’s announcement

The owners will be able to file an objection within (45) days from the day of receiving the military order late May 2019.

Reportedly, the occupation authorities will confiscate (318) dunums , in 1982 the confiscated area was (299) dunums  , but the so called Blue Line commission released 45 dunums, and annexed other 64 dunums instead.

According to Birin village council head, the confiscated plot belongs to Burqan family, and located east Birin, in natural block.

Noteworthy, the Israeli illegal settlement Bani Haiver is only few meters away from the confiscated lands, and it is possible that these lands will be used soon for the expansion of the settlement.

Since the 80s , the occupation declared about 1.5 dunums of privately owned Palestinian lands as Israeli state’s properties, in order to keep them as a reserve for colonial expansion.

Birin hamlet:

It is located to the southwest of Bani Na’im village and is inhabited by 300 people. The hamlet is edged by Bani Haiver colony from the east and the bypass road no. 60 from the west. Residents of the area were expelled from Negev area and now depend on agriculture and livestock husbandry as main sources of income. The hamlet accommodates one only primary school (1st- 7th grades). Birin (two water wells) was named after two water wells founded in the area.

Legal Feedback:

The constringing policy by the Israeli occupation authorities of confiscating Palestinian lands , can only be regarded as a violation of all international conventions and agreements like:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:

2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.

Article 17 of the international Declaration of Human Rights:

Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.