Land Research Center

Violation: targeting a water cistern

Date:  January 27, 2021

Location: Jab'it hamlet-Ramallah governorate

Perpetrators: Antiquities Inspection Committee- Israel Civil Administration

Victims:  four Palestinian families

Details:

The so-called Antiquities Inspection Committee- Israel Civil Administration raided on January 17, 2021 Jib'eet hamlet-Ramallah governorate and notified a water cistern with demolition on the claim that it "violates archeological places". The military order obliged the owners to remove the current renovation activities done on the cistern. The said activities took place couple of months ago and included expanding the size of the cistern through fortified cements.

It should be indicated that the targeted cistern serves four Palestinian families, including 27 members, of whom 10 are children. The families depend on farming and livestock as a main source of income. Targeting the said cistern will negatively impact the farming families since water is crucial for their livelihood.

Additionally, a mobile toilet was notified of demolition in the same area. This mobile unit is used by one of the families in the target area. Similarly, the Antiquities Inspection Committee has previously targeted four mobile toilet units in the same area. Owners of the units had to dismantle them accordingly.

The following table details information on the incident:

Photos 3+4: view of Jab'it hamlet

A resident of the area, farmer Fadel Abu Alya, told Land Research Center the following:

"We live in this hamlet since tens of years and we work in agriculture and livestock raising. Our houses are made of metal arches and covered with shade cloth. The land is ours, and we have ownership documents to prove it. Since an Israeli outpost was established in place of the old Israeli Camp of Jib'it, we have been daily suffering from the harassments of colonists. They prohibit us from grazing our sheep in the area, steal some of the goats, and ban us from building any form of establishments. Several tents of the hamlet were demolished while others were notified with demolition on "damage of antiquities" claims".

Over the past two years, a big number of Israeli violations against the residents of Jib'it hamlet were reported. Such measures are seen as a focused effort at forcibly displacing the residents of the area to take over it.

This report was prepared as part of Securing Palestinian Land and Housing Rights project activties

The contents of this document are the responsibility of LRC , and do not rerflect positions and views of The European Union