Land Research Center

• Violation: Uprooting of 400 fruit trees and destruction of lands.
• Location: Beit Iksa village northwest of Jerusalem.
• Date of violation: 26/02/2025.
• Perpetrator: The so-called Israeli Civil Administration.
• Affected party: Farmer Firas Akram Muhammad Salah.

Description:

On Wednesday morning, February 26, 2024, the village of Beit Iksa, located to the northwest of Jerusalem, was targeted by the so-called Government Property Inspector from the Israeli Civil Administration.

It is noted that the occupation, accompanied by three special bulldozers, targeted the "Al-Watawat" area west of the village, where demolition and bulldozing activities took place on a 22-dunum agricultural land owned by farmer Firas Akram Muhammad Salah, a resident of Jerusalem who supports a family of seven, including five children and two females.

The occupation's machinery also destroyed and uprooted 400 trees, including 150 eight-year-old olive trees, in addition to 20 mature olive trees, and the rest were eight-year-old almond trees. Additionally, 2,000 meters of irrigation networks used for watering the trees were destroyed, an ancient cave within the land was demolished, a health unit built from bricks with a tiled roof was demolished, the fence surrounding the land was uprooted, and four water tanks, each with a capacity of one cubic meter, were damaged.

The affected farmer stated:

"Six years ago, I purchased a 22-dunum piece of land—barren land that contained a cave—in the Beit Iksa area, which is classified as Area C according to the Oslo Agreement. The goal was agricultural and investment-related, as the land contained about 20 mature olive trees, including Roman olive trees. I added hundreds of other trees, including olive, citrus, almond, and grapevines, after leveling and rehabilitating the land and restoring the surrounding stone terraces. I also installed a metal fence around the land. Additionally, I laid down water pipes that extend over approximately one thousand meters, irrigating each tree through a drip system. I also installed electrical wiring and lighting, as I received water and electricity from the neighbors. I rehabilitated an old cave of about 18 square meters, which I used as a sitting area, and next to it, I built a small stone bathroom measuring one and a half meters by one and a half meters. The amount I spent on rehabilitating the land is estimated at around 300,000 shekels.”

He added:

"In 2021, the Civil Administration, protected by Israeli occupation soldiers, came and posted a notice demanding the 'restoration of the land to its previous state,' claiming that it was 'state land,' with the possibility of submitting an objection to the decision. I immediately approached a lawyer from the Wall and Settlement Affairs Commission, and an objection was submitted to the Civil Administration, accompanied by documentation proving ownership of the land. A session was held at the Ofer Military Court, and in November 2024, my lawyer informed me that the court rejected the objection, claiming that the land had been confiscated in the 1980s on the grounds that it was 'waste land.' I promptly filed a petition to the Supreme Court on this matter, but the situation remained unchanged until the occupation came on Wednesday morning, February 26, and demolished everything on the land."

This land destruction process indicates that the Israeli occupation state turns its back on all international human rights laws and conventions. It practices discriminatory measures against the Palestinians, stripping them of their property, whether it be buildings or land. This occupation policy is a grave sin committed by the occupation and a violation of all international norms and laws, which stipulate the following:

• The Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, Article 174: "The destruction and appropriation of property on a large scale is prohibited, unless required by an urgent military necessity, and is carried out in an illegal, unlawful, and arbitrary manner."
• The Roadmap Agreement signed between the Israelis and Palestinians (under the sponsorship of the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) on April 30, 2003, which called on the Israeli government to freeze all settlement construction activities: "The Israeli government must immediately work to dismantle all settlement outposts established since March 2001, in accordance with the Mitchell Report, and the Israeli government must freeze all settlement construction activities, including natural growth, as per the plan adopted and issued by USCR 1515-2003."
• Security Council Resolution 446 of 1979: "Called on Israel to cancel its previous measures and refrain from taking any action that would alter the legal status, geographic nature, or materially affect the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, especially Jerusalem, and not to transfer its civilian population."

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly under Resolution 217 A (III) on December 10, 1948, states: "No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property," which means that Israel is not allowed to destroy or confiscate Palestinian property under any pretext.

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