Israeli Violations in the time of Corona

Violation: Ravaging Order targets an agricultural road.

Location: ‘Ein Juwaiza – Al-Walaja village / Bethlehem governorate.

Date: May 27^th 2020.

Perpetrators: The Israeli Occupation Civil Administration.

Victims: Al-Walaja village Council.

Description:

Wednesday Morning May 27^th 2020, the Israeli Occupation Authorities and the building subcommittee raided Al-Walaja village west Bethlehem, and served a halt of work  and demolition order for a road on the pretext of rehabilitating the road without a permit from the Occupation Authorities.

The Occupation authorities ordered the immediate stoppage of the road opening, and destroy and ravage the paved road within 7 days , in case they breached the deadline , the Occupation authorities will carry out the demolition and make  them pay all the costs.

Noteworthy, the Occupation authorities served a halt of work notice to the road during Eid Al-Fitr holiday, when legal aid institutions were locked down.

Khaleel who works for The Services’ council of Ar-Reef Ash-Sharqi (the eastern suburbs) told LRC:

“The road is supposed to serve people of Al-Walaja, and make it easier for them to access their lands. At the time the Israeli Occupation provides all possible facilitations to settlers, it hinders in every possible way providing services to Palestinians.”

Noteworthy, the village council in its 41 session in July 2019, called Israel to halt all colonial activities in the Occupied Palestinian territories, and condemned colonial construction and expansion, demolition of houses, and confiscation of properties.

The Occupation is trying to empty Al-Walaja lands, to keep them as a reserve for future colonial expansionist projects.  

Photo 1 : Demolition order for an agricultural road in Al-Walaja

Al-Walaja:[1]

The village of Al Walaja (diminishing from an area of 17,793 dunums to 2400 dunums due to the greed of the Israeli occupation and its colonial project): From 1948 until today, the Israeli occupation has been practicing land theft on the village of Al-Walaja, 8.5 km southwest of Jerusalem and 5.4 km northwest of Bethlehem. The area of the village was 17793 dunums, of which 11793 dunums were occupied by Israel through the Armistice Agreement with the Jordanian Arab side under British patronage. In 1967, the village of Al-Walaja had 6000 dunums. In 1996, Israeli authorities confiscated 500 dunums of the village for the construction of the bypass road (for settlers). Another 1000 dunums were seized in its southern area for the establishment of the settlement of Gilo over the period of 1969-1997, leaving the village with only4500 dunums of land. That did not stop, the Israeli occupation forces confiscated yet more land by building the Apartheid Wall that looted around 2100 dunums of agricultural land that was planted with olive and almond trees.

[1] GIS-LRC

This report was prepared with EU funding

The Contents of this document do not reflect position sand views of the European Union