Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHAMS” issued its monthly observatory report for March 2022 on demolitions, confiscations, seizures, and notifications against Palestinian facilities, whether religious, tourist, industrial, commercial, educational, official or agricultural with a focus on residential locations by “Israel”, the occupying power, it is reported that the “SHAMS” center periodically issues monthly, semi-annual, and annual specialized observatories on this type of violation and other violations.
The monitoring report was based on a methodology based on field monitoring by the “SHAMS” Center staff and researchers, who monitored and counted the Israeli violations against Palestinian installations during the period 1/3/2022-31/3/2022 in all West Bank governorates to issue this monthly monitor. Then work on analyzing, dismantling and outputting the data in the form of tables. According to a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analytical indicators map. During March 2022, the Israeli occupation forces targeted (117) Palestinian-owned facilities, either with demolition, notifications to target these facilities in the future.
With a focus on the most evident violations were concentrated in demolition of (28) facilities, (2) of which forced their owners to self-demolish under the threats of imprisonment and financial penalties. The occupying forces in the municipality of Beit Hanina forced the citizen Ahmad Siam to self-demolish his home after receiving a notification previously, in avoidance to pay a heavy fine in the case the occupying forces decided to demolish, under the pretext of unauthorized construction. This led to the displacement of a family of 5 individuals, including a woman and 3 children. Also the occupying forces in Beit Hanina forced Ra`ef Ra`fat Shewiki to self-demolish his home after receiving a notification to demolish his house, in avoidance to pay a heavy fine if the occupying forces demolish the house, under the pretext of unauthorized construction, which has led to displace the family of Ra`ef which consists of his wife and two children.
As for notifications, the occupying forces have notified (86) facilities to demolish or seize, and the majority of them were residential, in addition to livestock barns, commercial facilities, schools, and retaining walls.
While the occupation forces confiscated (3) facilities. In the village of Khalit Al-Mea located east of the township of Yatta in the Hebron, they confiscated a caravan belonging to the Palestinian Civil Defense sector. They have also confiscated a container of goods in the lower village of Ein-Al-Dweik near Jericho on the pretext of being unauthorized container (the owner was unknown). An agricultural caravan was confiscated and its tools from a land owned by the Wuzwuz family in the village of Kherbat Qalqas south of Hebron.
The first indicator focused on the distribution of the targeted facilities by demolitions, or based on their type. This month’s distribution included: households (74), tin housing units/ barrack-like homes (14), commercial facilities (14), barns and farmhouses/cattle barracks (5), retaining walls (3), agricultural caravans (2) mobile trailer (2), horse stables (1), warehouse (1), schools (1).
The second indictor focused on the demolitions according to the geographical distribution of the violations. The majority of the targets were in the Jerusalem governorate where (18) facilities have been demolished. The Jericho and the Al Aghwar governorate where (5) facilities have been demolished.
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, (86) cases have been recorded in different areas. These notices point to the future concentrated trends of the Israeli violations against Palestinians. The governorates of Jericho and the Al Agwar came on top of the list, followed by Hebron and Salfet.
The third indicator focused on the targeted population since the violations against Palestinian facilities do not take place in isolation of the population. The number of targeted residents throughout March was (126) at the minimum, including (16) children and (11) women, according to the available information.
As for the arguments used by “Israel”, the occupying power, in its attempt to legitimize its crimes – in March the facilities that were demolished by the Occupying forces under the pretext of unauthorized construction in area C was (26) facilities out of (28) facilities originally and (2) facilities under the pretext of collective punishment under the occupier’s followed policy carried out against those who are accused to implement acts of resistance against the occupying power, Israel. During invasion of Jenin, in the township of Sela Haretha the occupation forces blew up the houses of (2) prisoners; Gaith Ahmad Yassin Jaradat and Mohammad Yoused Jaradat within the policy of collective punishment carried against who implement acts of resistance operations against Israel, the occupying power, which led to the displacement of 3 families consisting of 13 individuals, among them were 3 children and 5 women.
In regards to the notifications, (86)is the total of notified facilities, and the (3) facilities were confiscated. All the notifications were issued under the pretext that they there is no building permit and they are all located in the area (c).
The last indicator focused on “self-demolition,” which is a continuous and systematic subjugation and oppression against Palestinians through forced them to demolish their own homes and facilities under the threats of hefty fines. Throughout March, the number of facilities whose owners were forced to self-demolish was (2) out of (28) facilities. The first was the home of Rae’f Ra’fat Shweiki in the Beit Hanina in the Governate of Jerusalem, he had received a notification of demolition, and in avoidance of the hefty fine that he will be charged with if the Occupying forces demolish it themselves. The second location was also in Beit Hanina, it was a home belonged to Ahmad Siam, who was also forced to self-demolish to avoid the fine penalty. Both families were forced to displacement.
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