Human Rights and Democracy Media Centers SHAMS

مركز إعلام حقوق الإنسان والديمقراطية "شمس"

Ramallah: The Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHAMS” has released its monthly monitor report covering the month of August of 2021 on processes of demolition, confiscation, forced eviction and seizure carried out by “Israel,” the occupying power in the occupied Palestinian territories and targeting Palestinian facilities, whether they are religious, touristic, industrial, commercial, formal, agricultural or particularly those pertaining to housing. The report is titled “Monthly Monitor Report on Demolition Processes and Israeli Violations against Palestinians’ Households and Facilities.” “SHAMS” Center periodically releases specialized monthly, biannual, and annual monitor reports covering these particular kinds of violations in addition to others.

This monitor report’s methodology is based on observed field data conducted by “SHAMS” Center’s staff members and researchers, who monitored and recorded Israeli violations against Palestinian facilities throughout the period 1/8/2021-31/8/2021 in all of the West Bank’s governorates for the purpose of the releasing this monitor report. They later analyzed, disassembled and finalized them in the form of tables all in accordance with a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative indicators.

According to “SHAMS” Center, the occupation authorities targeted throughout the month of August (142) facilities owned by Palestinians either in the form of demolition, confiscation, or distribution of notices that announce similar practices in the future.

The most prominent violations came in the form of demolitions, which took place in the case of (110) facilities. Out of those, the owners of (21) facilities were forced to self-demolish their own properties as they were threatened with fines and jail-time.

Regarding demolition notices, the occupation forces notified (32) facilities of future demolitions or confiscations. The majority of those facilities were housing units as well as other agricultural facilities, cattle barns, and a cemetery.

The first indicator in the report pertained to the categorization of the targeted facilities (by demolitions, confiscations, and notices of future evictions) based on their type. This month’s distribution was as follows: households (45), tent housing units (8), tin housing units (2), residential rooms (4), agricultural rooms (3), wells, pools, and water installments (3), commercial facilities (21), cattle barns and farmhouses (21), storehouses (2), Retaining and regular walls (4), mobile trail-parks (2), mobile bathroom units (2) mobile trailer-parks (used in agricultural) (2) poultry farm (2) , water tanks (2), religious facilities (Mosque) (2) , gardens (2), car wash, kindergarten, tent used as a kitchen.

The second indicator pertained to the geographical distribution of the violations. The majority of the targets were in the Jerusalem Governorate where (44) facilities have been demolished. The Tubas Governorate, where (24) facilities have been demolished, came in second place, followed by the Hebron Governorate (22) .

Regarding notices that notify residents of demolitions, confiscations, evictions, orders to suspend construction activities and other practices that deprive Palestinians of their right to build and invest in their facilities, (32) cases have been recorded in different areas. These notices point to the future concentrated trends of the Israeli violations against Palestinians. The governorates of Jerusalem and Hebron were the two areas where that largest number of cases was documented. The third indicator pertained to the targeted population since the violations against Palestinian facilities do not take place in isolation of the population, the number of targeted residents throughout August was (142) individuals at the least including (77) children and (8) women according to the available data.

Surveying the pretexts employed by “Israel,” the occupying power, in an attempt to legitimize its crimes, we find that (105) demolished facilities out of this month’s total of (110) demolitions were demolished under the pretext of unauthorized construction in areas (C), which are under Israeli control and yet populated by Palestinians. (5) facilities were demolished under the pretext of their presence in military training zones or firing zones (the areas are designated as such shortly before the demolition takes place). One facility was demolished as a part of the occupation’s collective punishment policy it follows against people who conduct operations against it. The occupation forces for example coerced in the Alashqarya neighborhood in the town of Beit Haneena in the city of Jerusalem 5 citizens : Abdullah Taleb Khader and his sons into self- demolishing their houses ( a house consisting 5 departments) that house 25 people including 7 children. The occupation forces had warned Khader on an earlier occasion that he would have to pay extremely hefty fines if the demolition process were to be carried out by the forces themselves in favor to settlers who clam ownership of the land in which building is built since 1962.

As for delivered demolition notices, all (31) facilities received notices under the pretext of their presence in areas (C) or due to unauthorized construction. In Kufr Aldeek village, The Israeli occupation delivered a verbal notice, warning residents to evacuate a sheep farm, under the pretext of its location, near to Badoel settlement.

The last indicator focused on “self-demolition,” which represents a particular type of systemic and concentrated subjugation in which Palestinians are forced to demolish their own homes and facilities under the threat of hefty fines. Throughout August, the number of facilities whose owners were forced to self-demolish under the pretext of unauthorized construction was (21) out of (110) that were demolished overall. These facilities were (20) homes and (1) residential room in the Jerusalem Governorate as well as a house in the city of Beit Haneena, (2) houses in Jabal Alumkkaber, (1) house in the Alttour neighborhood, in addition to another house in the Silwan neighborhood, all under the pretext of unauthorized construction.

The occupation forces coerced the 7 citizens from Alradayda family ( Ahmad Alradayda and his siblings: Mahmoud, Ayyoub, Sofian, Saleh, Moath and Moawya)  into self-demolishing their houses in the Alashqarya neighborhood in Beit Haneena in Jerusalem, under the pretext of unauthorized construction which led to the displacement of 46 people including 32 women and 7 children. The  Israeli occupation forces also coerced in the Alashaqarya neighborhood in Beit Haneena in Jerusalem 5 citizens : Abdullah Taleb Khader and his sons into self demolishing houses they owned ( a house consists of 5 dapartments) including 25 people, under the pretext of unauthorized construction. The occupation forces had warned Khader in an earlier occasion that they would have to pay extremely hefty fines if the demolition process were to be carried out by the forces themselves. The occupation forces claim that this land is owned by settlers since 1962. 

Also, The occupation forces coerced in the Alashqarya neighborhood in Beit Hanena town sons of Subhi Aldalal into self demolishing three houses (consists  of 13 people , most of them are children) under the pretext of unauthorized construction. The occupation forces had warned Aldalal on an earlier occasion that he would have to pay extremely hefty fines if the demolition process were to be carried out by the forces themselves. Likewise, The occupation forces coerced in the Jabal Almukkber neighborhood in the city of Jerusalem citizen Oqab Ja’bees into self demolishing his house ( consists of one room ) under the pretext of unauthorized construction. The occupation forces had warned Ja’bees on an earlier occasion that he would have to pay extremely hefty fines if the demolition process were to be carried out by the forces themselves.

The violation not over yet, the Israeli occupation forces coerced in the Silwan neighborhood in the city of Jerusalem the citizen Muhammad Mahmoud Matar into self demolishing a home he owned under the pretext of unauthorized construction. The occupation forces had warned Matar on an earlier occasion that he would have to pay extremely heft fines if the demolition process were to be carried out by the forces themselves. It is noteworthy that he lives with his wife and their 5 children in it. Again, the violation not over yet, the Israeli occupation forces coerced in the Alttour neighborhood in Jerusalem the citizen Osama Dwak into self- demolishing his house, under the pretext of unauthorized construction. The occupation forces had warned Dwak in an earlier occasion that he would have to pay extremely hefty fines if the demolition process were to be carried out by the forces themselves.