Violation: Military order for land seizure.

Location: Yasuf Village / Salfit Governorate.

Date of Violation: July 2024.

Perpetrator: Israeli Occupation Army.

Affected Party: Residents of Yasuf Village.

Description:
The so-called Commander of the Israeli Occupation Army in the West Bank issued a military order to seize and control 13 dunams of land in Yasuf Village, east of Salfit. According to the details of the military order, the targeted land is located in natural basin No. 2, site Jabal Abu Al-Suwaid, and in basin No. 10, site Shuhb Al-Tin Al-Sharqi and Khillet Al-Foulah.
The military order, titled "Order Regarding Land Seizure No. 24/43/T, Judea and Samaria 5784-2024," clearly states that the main objective of this seizure is to establish a buffer zone around the "Tapuach" settlement, which is built on extensive parts of Yasuf Village’s land..

Mr. Muhammad Abdul Fattah Obeid, head of the agricultural committee in the village, stated to a researcher at the Land Research Center:

"This military order has negative and serious implications for the surrounding lands, as a buffer zone means that all lands around the buffer zone will be inaccessible to farmers for care and utilization. These lands have already been isolated entirely, and since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, all farmers have been prevented from accessing them. We are talking about no less than 800 dunams, a large part of which is planted with olive trees."

It is noteworthy that the "Tapuach" settlement was established on the lands of Yasuf Village and overlooks the Za'tara Junction, which separates the northern West Bank from the south and leads to the central Jordan Valley. The settlers of this colony are religious extremists, followers of the extremist Meir Kahane, who was killed in the United States several years ago and who called on his followers to expel Palestinian Arabs from their land to abroad. The settlement’s total area is approximately 233 dunams and includes a military camp in addition to the residential colony. It was founded in 1982. Additionally, two random settlement outposts have been established near Kfar Tapuach since the beginning of the Intifada in 2000: Rahalim B', located south of Yasuf Village, and the new "Tapuach" outpost, located east of the village. These two outposts have seized 100 dunams from the village.

Introduction to Yasuf Village:

Yasuf Village is located 16 km south of Nablus City, bordered by the towns of Huwara and Jama'in to the north, Marda Village to the west, Yatma Village to the east, and Iskaka Village to the south. The village had a population of 2,093 as of 2017. Its total area is 6,037 dunams, of which 330 dunams are the village’s built-up area. The Israeli occupation has seized 814 dunams from the village for the following purposes:

Israeli Settlements: 659 dunams were seized for two settlements, the first "Kfar Tapuach," established in 1978, which took 649 dunams and houses 523 settlers, and the second "Rehalim - Shvut," which took 10 dunams and was established in 1991.

Bypass Roads: The bypass road No. 508 seized over 155 dunams.

Additionally, most of Yasuf Village's lands fall within Area C, under full Israeli control, making it a frequent target. According to the Oslo Accords, Yasuf Village is divided into Areas B (1,427 dunams) and C, which forms the larger portion of the village's total area (4,609 dunams).

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