Violation: Notification of confiscation of 54 dunums for the purpose of constructing a new settlement road.
Location: Salfit City and Kifl Haris Town.
Date of Violation: October 2024.
Responsible Party: The so-called Commander of the Occupation Army in the West Bank.
Affected Parties: Residents of the mentioned locations.

Description:

The so-called Commander of the Occupation Army in the West Bank issued a new military order, numbered (24/9/T), stipulating the seizure of 54 dunums of land in Salfit City and Kifl Haris Town for military purposes — specifically to establish a new segment of a bypass road, apparently as an alternative to the northern entrance of Salfit.

According to the new military order, the occupation authorities set a deadline of no more than seven days for submitting objections to the so-called Efraim Office against this discriminatory plan.

The confiscation is specified within the following land parcels:

• Kifl Haris Town: Within Basin No. (7) at Al-Jabal site, and Basin No. (6) at Al-Wajh Al-Qibli and Al-Ras sites.
• Salfit City: Wadi Al-Matwi area.

Mr. Abdul Karim Al-Fattash, the Mayor of Salfit, stated:

“This road represents a new catastrophe for Salfit City. The so-called head of the ‘Ariel Municipality’ exerted significant pressure on the occupation army to close the city’s northern entrance, and he succeeded in doing so. Today, the Israeli occupation is working to create an alternative road at the expense of the area’s lands, paving the way for the seizure of additional parcels of land there. This road, planned by the occupation, is also linked to the road being constructed for the benefit of the colonial outpost in Al-Ras.”

It is worth mentioning that the main road (the northern entrance) has been one of the city’s primary access points for many years.

Land Confiscation Violates International Laws:

What Israel is doing in the occupied Palestinian territories constitutes a violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and their lands, as well as a breach of international laws and norms. Below are key provisions from international treaties and conventions that prohibit Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories and protect private and public properties in occupied lands, along with relevant United Nations resolutions.

The Lahai Convention (1907):

• Article 46: The occupying state is prohibited from confiscating private property.
• Article 55: The occupying state acts as the administrator of the lands in the occupied country and must treat the properties as private assets.

The Fourth Geneva Convention (1949):

• Article 49: The occupying power is forbidden to transfer its citizens to the occupied territories or take any actions that lead to demographic changes in these areas.
• Article 53: The occupying forces are prohibited from destroying private or collective property belonging to individuals, the state, or local authorities in the occupied territory.
• Article 147: The destruction and seizure of property on a large scale, unjustified by military necessity, and carried out unlawfully and arbitrarily, constitute a grave breach of the Convention.

 مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC IV - GFFO

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين