Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, issued its monthly documentary report for September 2022 about targeting the Palestinian establishments through demolishing, confiscation, or notified of demolishing/ stop construction. The Israeli authorities usually target religious, official, industrial, tourism, educational, official, and agricultural establishments. The focus is on the residential establishments as the Occupying Power (Israel) tends to violate Palestinians right to residency in their land through restrictions imposed on the residential units and banning Palestinians from building on their own land.
SHAMS Center issues periodical documentary reports on monthly and semiannually/ annually basis about the various violations committed by the occupation forces against Palestinians.
The Report is based on field research and first- hand documentation methodology through the team of the Center that is active in the West bank covering all the governorate. The current report covers the period 1- 30/9/2022. The collected data is processed and analyzed and published in the form of tables according to a group of comprehensive qualitative and quantitative indexes. During the current moth, the Israeli authorities targeted 63 Palestinian establishments through demolishing, confiscation, or notified to be demolished in the near future.
The major violation is the demolishing process where 42 establishments were demolished including 5 where the owners were forced to demolish them on their own to avoid paying high financial fines or being arrested if they do not pay. The justification given for the demolishing is the unlicensed building. One of the demolished establishments is owned by a woman in Silwan- Jerusalem, where she was forced to demolish her house of her own leading to push her and her three kids outdoor (she is a widow).
Regarding the notifications of demolishing or stop building, the Israeli authorities notified the owners of 7 establishments that included residential house, commercial establishments, and a wall.
The Israeli authorities confiscated 14 establishments that included residential tents, agricultural tents, and mobile caravans. Some of the confiscated establishments are used for residency purposes while others are used as warehouses. Additionally, a water closet was also confiscated and the given justification for the confiscation acts is being built without license.
The first index within the report highlights the type of the targeted establishments where the demolished establishments included:
Residential Houses (8), Residential Barracks (2), Residential Caravans (1), Agricultural Rooms (2), Water Wells (3), Livestock Barracks/ Sheds (3), Commercial Establishments (1), Walls (2), Car Washing Garage (1), Poultry Farms (1), Warehouses (2), Agricultural Barrack (2), Vegetables Kiosks (11), Horses Stable (1), Equestrian Club (1), Stones terrace (1)
The notified establishments included: home residences (1), walls (1), commercial establishments (3) , a wedding hall, and cars garage.
In regard to the confiscated establishments, they included: residential tents (2), residential caravan (1), agricultural caravans (1), mobile caravans (2), agricultural tents (7), and water closet (1).
The second indicator within the report is related to the geographical distribution of the targeted establishments where the majority was in Jerusalem (14 establishments) while there were (12) in Bethlehem governorate.
In reference to the notifications, whether those related to demolishing, confiscation, or stop construction as well as other forms of violations, against Palestinians that deprive them of the right to utilize their establishments, the majority was in Nablus (5) while there was one in Jerusalem and one in Bethlehem. Analyzing the distribution of the notifications will help to figure out the future direction of targeting Palestinian establishments.
As for the confiscated establishments, the majority was in Jericho/ Jordan Valley (7 establishments)
The third indicator within the report is dedicated to the affected population as the targeted establishments are owned by Palestinians. During September, 26 Palestinians were affected by the occupation’s violations including 6 children and 5 women.
The justifications that are proposed by the occupation’s authorities to legalize their crimes against Palestinians, 41 of the demolished establishments were under the justification of unlicensed building in (c) area while one establishment was as collective punishment against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation.
All the notified establishments during September (7 establishments), were under the justification of unlicensed building in areas classified as (c) areas in the West Bank. The 14 confiscated establishments were under the same justification, unlicensed building.
In regard to the self- demolishing, which is a form of structured oppression, as Palestinians are forced to demolish their establishments in their own to avoid paying high financial fines in case the Israeli authorities do the job, 5 Palestinians from Jerusalem were forced to demolish their establishments on their own. According to the applied policy of the occupation in Jerusalem, Palestinian Jerusalemite should pay the cost of demolishing the establishments in case it was done by the occupation’s bulldozers. The Occupation authorities determine the cost of demolishing (usually exaggerated costs) and obligate Palestinians to pay such cost to avoid being arrested or even duplicating the financial fine. Such form of oppression represents the worst form of apartheid policies that the occupation practices against Palestinians. The justification for the demolishing is unlicensed building at the time the Israeli authorities do not give Palestinians in Jerusalem license to building but following very complicated and highly cost procedures. The registration process usually takes months to be approved and the cost is even higher that the cost of building process itself.
Within the policy of collective punishment against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation to deter Palestinians from involvement in resistance, the Israeli authorities demolished a residential apartment in Jenin City. An apartment owned by the family of martyr Raad Hazem was demolished through exploding the interior walls.