Violation: Demolition of houses and facilities.

Date of Violation: 04/07/2024

Location: Village of Bireen - Bani Na'im / Hebron Governorate.

Perpetrating Entity/ Victim: The Civil Administration of the occupation.

Affected Parties: 10 families from the village.

Details:

On Thursday, July 4, 2024, the Israeli occupation authorities carried out a large-scale demolition operation, destroying the homes and agricultural facilities of the villagers under the pretext of being built without permits, in the village of Bireen, south of the town of Na'im, south of Hebron Governorate.

At around 8:00 AM, a large force of the occupation's "Border Police" and teams from the Planning and Building Department in the "Civil Administration," accompanied by four heavy machinery (three excavators and a bulldozer), and workers from an Israeli civilian company, stormed the village and headed towards its eastern side with the intention of carrying out the demolition.

After the occupation soldiers closed the road leading to the village, removed the residents from the targeted buildings, and evicted their inhabitants, the accompanying workers began removing some belongings and items from them. The machinery then began demolishing them.

From the demolition of homes and facilities of the villagers – Village of Bireen

The demolition operation lasted about four hours, during which the occupation authorities demolished approximately ten buildings, the majority of which were homes of villagers.

The head of the Bireen Village Council pointed out that the occupation authorities had targeted these homes and facilities in the years 2020 and 2021 by issuing stop-work and construction notices, under the pretext of building without permits (building permits). The citizens filed legal objections to the notices, but the occupation authorities rejected their objections and proceeded with the demolition.

Images 1-7: Rubble of homes and facilities of the villagers – Village of Bireen

Village of Bireen[1]:

The village of Bireen is located southwest of the town of Bani Na'im, with a population of about 300 people. The village is bordered to the east by the settlement of "Bnei Hefer" and to the west by the bypass road No. (60). The residents rely on agriculture and livestock farming. The village has only one primary school, from first to seventh grade. The village was named Bireen due to the presence of two old artesian wells.

Demolition of homes and facilities under international law:

The demolition of Palestinian properties is considered a violation of all international laws, treaties, and conventions, most notably:

Article (17) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – 1948:

Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article (23) of the Hague Convention – 1907:

It is forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy's property unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.

Article (53) of the Fourth Geneva Convention – 1948:

Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.

[1] LRC.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are the responsibility of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the EU

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير من مسوؤلية مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الاتحاد الاوروبي