Violation: Demolishing a facility under claims that it lacks licenses

Date:  18/06/2019.

Location: Jabal Al-Mukkabir – Occupied Jerusalem.

Perpetrator: The occupation’s municipality in Jerusalem.

Victims: Citizens: Mahmoud As-Surkhi , Musa’ab Al-A’araj and heirs of Hamza Al-Mughrabi.

Description:

At the morning of Tuesday 18 of June 2019, the occupation’s bulldozers demolished a facility located in Jabal Al-Mukabir south Jerusalem, on the pretext that the structures lack licenses from the occupation. Reportedly, the targeted facility is a store that sells building materials , and belong to  Mahmoud As-Surkhi , Musa’ab Al-A’araj and heirs of Hamza Al-Mughrabi.

Mahmoud As-Surkhi told LRC reporter:

“The targeted facility is located on a 600 m² plot, it consists of 2 zinc barracks (70 m²) , and 2 containers each one has an area of 40 m^2, the mentioned structures are used together for selling building materials , and provided number of jobs.

Two months ago , the occupation’s municipality in Jerusalem served a demolition order targeting the facility on the pretext of building without license.

Tuesday morning, the occupation forces showed up and closed up the area, before they completely leveled the structures to the ground.”

About Jabal Al Mukabbir [1]:

5 kilometers south Jerusalem city , Jabal Al Mukabbir is surrounded by Silwan (north, Ath Thuri (west) , Abu Dis and As-Sawahra Ash- Sharqiya (east) , As-Sawahra Al-Gharbiya (south).

Jabal Mukabbir and As-Sawahra Al-Gharbiya together have a total population of (21, 127 ) people in 2012 census-The  Jerusalem academy of Israeli Studies-, Jabal Al Mukabbir has an area of 3,281 dunums , 682,7 of them are the towns built uo area.

-Israeli settlements devoured 300 dunums of the town's lands:

Land Research Center LRC sees that demolitions contradict with all of the International conventions and Humanitarian laws including:

• Article 147 of Geneva fourth convention  : extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly. ( it is considered a serious violation of the convention)
• Article 53 of Geneva fourth convention that forbids destroying properties : Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or co-operative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.
• Article 33 of Geneva fourth convention: No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed.
• Article 32 of Hague convention 1907 part g: To destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.
• Article 17 of Universal declaration of human rights 10 –Dec- 1948:  No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

[1] GIS-LRC