Land Research Center

Violation: Notices to stop construction.

Location : Shoshala town – Al Khader / Bethlehem governorates.

Perpetrators : The occupation forces and their civil administration.

Date: 11 January 2018.

 Victims: 4 Palestinian families.

Details:

 11 January 2018, Thursday, The occupation forces and the Israeli civil administration broke into Shoshala town and delivered notices to 4 homes on the  pretext of building without permissions.

Citizen Mohanad Salah told LRC observer:

"Shoshala is an ancient town , it exists since the Ottoman rule , Shoshala's total area is 1200 dunums It used to be the home of 30 Palestinian families, before its residents were displaced to Al- Khader in 1976"

Sahah Added:

We worked with local and international foundations to repair our old houses, in order to make them appropriate to live in, so we can finally go back to our homes, the occupation gave permissions to us to repair our homes but without adding on the buildings, after  people of Shoshala finished repairing their houses, the occupation delivered notices to make them stop the construction even though they complied to their terms"

Citizen Muhannad Salah went back to his town Shoshala in 1992 and repaired his grandfather's house and lived in it despite the harassments of the settlers in the surrounding colonies, He and his family handled living in the town with the least life possibilities, as the occupation refused to provide (electricity and water), but he endured this suffering to protect his ancestors' lands.

It is important to point out that these policies reveal occupation's colonial plans to take over the land and expelling its residents to add on the surrounding colonies, especially "Neve Daniyyel" which is a  colony that devoured broad spaces from the town's lands.

It is worthy mentioning that the location of the town on the mountain's hill, surrounded by 5 colonies and outposts (Efrat , Neve Daniyyel,  Elazar, Hatamar and sde Boaz ) make Shoshala town subject to Israeli colonial plans in order to add on their illegal settlements on Al-Khader lands, shoshala keeps these settlements from growing that's why the occupation forces prevent Palestinians from building and farming their lands.

People of Shoshala have legal documents that prove they own the land, and have the right to live in it, they left it in the first place due to occupation's harassments which forced the people out of the town, but their sons kept the documents that prove their property of the lands, and are working to regain their land.

The occupation authorities in their notices asked citizens to "Immediately stop the construction" on the pretext of building without permissions as Shoshala lies in C area according to Oslo agreement.

And appointed 8 February 2018 for branch commission of "Supreme ordering assembly", the  session will be 9:00 in the morning in "Beit El" court to discuss wither to "demolish the house or return it to its former state"

The occupation authorities claim that citizens can apply to get permissions for their houses and constructions , but also reminds us that " doesn't necessarily mean that they will grant them permissions"

 The occupation's authorities deliver notices to all buildings in area C,  and claim that Palestinians can apply to get permissions, but actually rarely grants them permissions"

Names of the victims and other information:

Source: firsthand field observation- Israeli violations observation section – LRC / January 2018.

Pictures homes that are noticed to stop construction:

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union

The contents of this document is the sole responsibility of LRC and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.