2021-02-08
Demolition of Two Water Harvesting Cisterns in Jib’it / Ramallah governorate
Violation: Demolition of two water harvesting cisterns.
Location: Khirbet Jib’it/ Ramallah governorate.
Date: February 1st and 8th 2021.
Perpetrators: The building inspector at the Israeli Civil Administration.
Victims: four families living at the area.
Description:
The Israeli Occupation Heavily targets Khirbet Jib’it east Al-Mughayyir village, with a purpose to empty the area for the favor of colonial expansion.
During the past three years the occupation imposed heavy restrictions on families living at the Khirbet (27 members among them 10 children) , the occupation made their lives intolerable under claims that the area is a closed military zone , while at other times, the occupation claimed that the Khirbet is built on an antiquities area , and that any new structures are a violation on the area of the Khirbet.
Reported recently, the occupation army in coordination with the antiquities officer at the Israeli Civil Administration raided Khirbet Jib’it on Monday, February 1st 2021 , and carried on demolishing a water harvesting cistern with a storage capacity of 80 m3 , on the pretext of assaulting antiquities.
the targeted cistern
Noteworthy, the targeted cistern had been built 50 years ago , and used to provide water for people of the community , and in summer 2020 the cistern was rehabilitates with funding from an international NGO, which was followed by a halt of work notice from the occupation authorities.
A similar incident occurred In Monday February 8th 2021 when the occupation forces accompanied by the Antiquities officer at the Israeli Civil Administration raided Khirbet Jib’it and targeted a water harvesting cistern , the bulldozer ravaged the cistern door and the floor around it , noting that the cistern was only rehabilitated in summer of 2020 by an international NGO, and received a notice to stop destroying antiquities in February 27th 2021, the cistern with a storage capacity of 120 m3 used to provide water for farm animals and plants.
The targeted cistern
Farmer ‘Imran Abu ‘Alya told LRC the following: “Last summer, the occupation troops and bulldozers demolished a cistern , and at the beginning of this year , it demolished another two cisterns . so only this year 3 cisterns were demolished on the pretext of protecting antiquities , people of the khirbet are now suffering from lack of water for domestic and farm uses , so they have to buy water (3 m3 price is 120 nis) , which made life at the community for such short-income families impossible. Moreover, the occupation forces hinder water tanker trucks on their way to the communities.”
Photo 3: Photo of the Bedouin community
During the past few year , the occupation targeted the Khirbet several times through confiscating tents and outdoor bathrooms , while illegal colonists steal sheep or even poison them or run over them with cars.
It is noteworthy that the “Khirbet Jib’it” area is located to the east of the village of Mughayyir in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, where citizens depend on agriculture and cattle breeding for living. The community’s citizens originate from the village of Al Mughayer, specifically from the Abu Alia family. They have official documents confirming their ownership of the land in which they had been living for 50 years.
Since the evacuation of the Jib’it military camp by the Israeli army about three years ago, colonists have begun to seize the camp’s land to establish a colonial outpost there. Since then, colonists have carried out attacks against sheep herders and farmers, with the aim of preventing them from using their land, and, eventually, empty the area for future colonial expansion.
Al-Mughayyir: [1]
Al Mughayyir is located 30 km to the north east of Ramallah; it is inhabited by around 3,249 people according to the PCBS statistics conducted in 2017.
Most of the village agricultural fields are located in its eastern parts; its total area is 33055 dunums, 501 of which are built-up area.
The Israeli occupation confiscated 37 dunums of Al Mughayyir lands for bypass #458.
According to Oslo Accords, about 95% of the village is under Area C while only 5% is under Area B.
- Area B: 1,695 dunums
- Area C: 31,360 dunums
[1] GIS-LRC
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