Violation: Demolition of an agricultural room under the pretext of lack of a permit.
Location: Shuqba village, north of Ramallah city.
Date of Violation: December 4, 2024.
Perpetrating Party: The Civil Administration of the Israeli occupation.
Affected Party: Farmer Khalaf Hosni Salem Qaddah.

Details of the Violation:

On the morning of Wednesday, December 4, 2024, the Israeli occupation began new demolition activities targeting an agricultural structure in the village of Shuqba, north of Ramallah.

The so-called building inspector from the Israeli Civil Administration, accompanied by a group of occupation soldiers, targeted an agricultural room made of bricks and roofed with corrugated metal sheets, covering an area of 12 square meters. In addition, they demolished 24 meters of concrete retaining walls surrounding the plot of land where the agricultural room was located.

The property belongs to farmer Khalaf Hosni Salem Qaddah, who supports a family of 6, including 2 females and 4 children. A civilian bulldozer, accompanying the occupation forces, completely destroyed the structures under the pretext of lacking a permit. It is important to note that the structure had been issued a stop-work order since 2023.

Effects of the Demolition in Shuqba Village

The affected farmer provided the following statement to the LRC researcher:

"On Wednesday morning, I received a call from a fellow farmer informing me that occupation soldiers, along with a bulldozer, were stationed around my plot of land. I rushed to the site but was not allowed to enter. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces completely destroyed the room, which was a refuge for me and my family. The total losses amounted to 65,000 shekels."

Shuqba village, located 24 kilometers north of Ramallah, continues to suffer from daily pressures due to the Israeli occupation. The village faces a shortage of land allocated for construction, as the structural plan covers only 1,320 dunams out of the total 51,000 dunams of the village's area. This is insufficient to accommodate the natural population growth, with approximately 4,260 residents according to the 2017 census data.

As a result, residents are forced to build in "Area C" as per the Oslo Accords, which exposes them to harassment by the occupation. Over the past five years, at least 60 agricultural and residential structures in the village have been issued stop-work or demolition orders.

Shuqba Village:

Shuqba village is located 34 kilometers northwest of Ramallah. It is bordered to the north by 'Abud, to the west by Qubeiba and the Green Line, to the east by Deir Abu Mash'al, and to the south by Shabtin. The village's population was 5,459 residents as of 2017.

The total area of the village is 13,495 dunams, of which 979 dunams are designated as the built-up area for the village of Jalama.

The Israeli occupation has confiscated 613 dunams of the village's land for the following purposes:

• Bypass roads: 335 dunams were seized for the construction of Route 446.
• Apartheid Wall: The route of the apartheid wall has seized 278 dunams and isolated 1,390 dunams. The wall's length in the area is 2,780 meters.

Land Classification According to the Oslo Accords for the Village:

• Area B: 1,208 dunams.
• Area C: 12,287 dunams.

Legal Commentary:

The actions carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities in demolishing Palestinian homes and structures constitute violations of international and humanitarian law, as well as a breach of the right to adequate housing, a right guaranteed by international law and treaties. This is evident in the following articles:

• Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: "Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly is considered a grave breach of the Convention."
• Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1948 prohibits the destruction of property, stating: "The occupying power may not destroy private property, whether movable or immovable, belonging to individuals or groups, or to the State or public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, unless such destruction is imperatively demanded by military operations."
• Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates: "No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed."
• Paragraph 'j' of Article 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 warns against the destruction of "enemy property or its sequestration, unless such destruction or sequestration is imperatively demanded by the necessities of war."
• Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dated December 10, 1948, states: "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property."

These legal provisions highlight the illegality of such actions and reinforce the protection of Palestinian rights to property and housing under international law.

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

  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