Violation: Demolition Order for a tent in Al-Himeh.

Location: Al-Himeh Bedouin community – Wad Al-Malih/ Tubas Governorate.

Date: October 31^st 2021.

Perpetrators: Antiquities Department at the Israeli Civil Administration.

Victims: People of Al-Himeh Bedouin community.

Description:

The Israeli Occupation assaults on Bedouin communities at the Jordan valley continue. Sunday, October 31^st, The Antiquities inspector at the Israeli Civil Administration raided “Khirbet Al-Himeh” area at the northern Jordan Valley , and leveled a tent built of a metal body and plastic sheets.

According to notice number (852) , the occupation claims that the tent is built on an antiquities site and should be removed immediately. The targeted tent has a total area of (24 m²), and was sat up by the head of the bedouin community, as an alternative of a guest house for the clan.

Notice number 852 which targets the tent

 the targeted tent

The Israeli Occupation leveled the whole community to the ground in September 2016, at the same time a new outpost was planted in “Khallet Hamad”, which quickly grew and ate up the hills that surround the community.

Al-Himeh Bedouin community is located to the south of Bardala , and inhabited by 67 people , in 13 Bedouin families who depend on cattle breeding as the only source of income, the community have been intermittently residing the area for more than 26 years.

Legal Commentary:

Demolition of Palestinian structures by the occupation authorities is a  violation of international and humanitarian law presented by the following articles:

Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, dated December 10, 1948 states that “No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property”.

Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1948 prohibits the destruction of property, as this article states the following: “The occupying power is prohibited from destroying any private, fixed or movable property related to individuals or groups, the state or public authorities, or social or cooperative organizations, unless the war operations inevitably require this destruction.

Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed.

Paragraph ‘g’ of Article 23 of the Hague Convention of 1907 AD also warned against destroying or seizing the enemy’s property, unless the necessities of war necessarily require such destruction or seizure.