IOF Demolish of a house and a restaurant Beit Jala/ Bethlehem

Violation: Demolition of a restaurant and a house on the pretext of building without licenses.

Location: Al-Makhrour – Beit Jala village/ Bethlehem governorate.

Date: 26/08/2019.

Perpetrator: The Israeli occupation civil administration and forces.

Victims: Citizen Ramzi Qaisiya.

Description:

 Monday ,26 August 2019, the Israeli occupation forces demolished a house and a restaurant belong to Ramzi Qaisiya, on the pretext of building without licenses.

Michael Qaisiya (Then owner’s wife) told LRC reporter:

“The occupation forces demolished our house and income source , but we will rebuild them , and we will never give up on our land.

I do not know what to tell my grandson when he returns from school and ask us where did our house go, he used to play in the backyard , and now he will come back and see that our house was completely destroyed.”

Scenes from the demolition

The occupation demolished the house, and left Al-Qaisiya family homeless. That was not enough for them, but they also destroyed their income source.

Noteworthy , Al-Qaisiya managed to get an Israeli supreme court resolution that testifies he owns the lands where the house and restaurant are built.

This is the third time the occupation forces demolish structures that belong to Al-Qaisiya, and turned its beautiful garden into a big mess. On the other hand, Israeli settlers took over a plot in a nearby location, and prohibited its real owners from accessing it .

The occupations authorities’ objective is clear, they want to annex “Har Jilo” settlement to “Gush Etzion” settlement cluster in order to achieve their project “The greater Jerusalem”.

Al Makhrour:[1]

Al Makhrour is a valley located to the west of Beit Jala; it has been targeted by the Israelis since the first days of occupation because of its strategic location. Al-Makhrour is edged by the bypass road (east), Al-Walaja (north), Hussan and Battir (west) and Al-Khader (south).

Its total area is around 3500 dunums planted mostly with prunes and olives.

The area contains springs and old trees, it is considered as a reserve for several rare species of birds such as Oriental Honey Buzzard, Palestine sunbird and Partridge. In Al-Makhrour mountains you can see the caves and the beautiful palaces built by the owners at the area. The area is covered with peach groves, from which the Beit Jala’s popular juice is made of. There is also an annual peach festival. Unfortunately, residents of the area are deprived by the Israeli Occupation authorities from their legitimate right to build and cultivate on their own lands.

[1] GIS-LRC

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