Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, issued its monthly documentary report for April 2023, about demolishing, notification of demolishing, closure, and confiscation of the Palestinian establishments by the Israeli Occupation Authorities. The Occupation Authorities usually target the Palestinian religious, tourism, commercial, agricultural, educational, or official establishments, with focus on the residential ones. In this regard SHAMS Center usually issues periodical documentary reports (monthly, semi- annually, and annually) documentation reports about the various forms of violations committed against Palestinians.
The report is based on field documentation methodology through the Center’s team and field workers. Within the current report, the team documented the violations that took place during the period 1- 30 April 2023 in the various governorates of the West Bank. The collected data was processed and analyzed to be presented in the form of tables and measured against a group of quantitative and qualitative indicators. During April, the Israeli occupation authorities targeted 50 establishments owned by Palestinians. The targeting took the form of demolishing, confiscation, or notifications to target these establishment in the near future.
The majority of the violations took the form of demolishing where 11 Palestinian establishments were demolished including commercial establishments, agricultural rooms and poultry farm. As for notifications, the occupation authorities notified the owners of 37 establishments with orders of demolishing, stop construction, or eviction. The notified establishments included houses, residential barracks, commercial and religious establishments. On a related level, the Israeli authorities confiscated two establishments (residential tent and mobile caravan).
The first indicator within the report addressed the types of the targeted establishments either those demolished or notified with demolishing orders. In this regard, the demolished establishments were agricultural rooms (4), commercial establishments (5), and poultry farm (1).
As for the notified establishments, they included: houses (24), residential barracks (9), commercial establishments (1), livestock barracks/ sheds (2), and religious establishments (1).
Regarding the confiscated establishments, they included (1) caravan housing, and (1) a mobile caravan.
The second indicator highlighted the geographical distribution of the targeted establishments where there were (6) in Hebron as the first rank governorate and then (5) in Tulkarem.
Regarding the notifications whether the orders of demolishing, stop construction, confiscation and other violations that deprive Palestinians from building and utilizing establishments, the majority was in Salfeet (19) while there were (9) in Toubas.
As for the confiscated establishments, they were in Hebron and Jericho/ Jordan Valley.
Concerning the justifications given by the occupation authorities to legalize targeting the Palestinian establishments, all the demolished establishments (11) were under the justification of unlicensed building in areas classified as (c). As for the justifications given for notified establishments, 28 establishments were under the justification of unlicensed building in areas classified as (c) while 5 establishments were notified under the justification of building in a closed areas dedicated for military purposes. The owners of three residential units were notified with demolishing orders within the policy of the collective punishment applied against Palestinians who participate in resisting the occupation while one establishment was notified under the justification of being owned by Jews before 1948. The two confiscated establishments were under the justification of unlicensed building in areas classified as (c).
Within the occupation’s policy to demolish houses as collective punishment against Palestinians who participate in resisting the occupation in order to deter others from participating in the resistance, the Israeli authorities decided on 21/4/2023, to demolish the house of prisoner Usama Al- Taweel from Nablus, under the justification that he participated in shooting towards Israelis in Nablus area. Additionally, the Israeli authorities decided to demolish the house of martyr Mutaz Al- Khawaja from Nileen Village- Ramallah where the family was given till 27/4/2023 to appeal against the demolishing order. Martyr Al- Khawaja was killed in Tel Aviv following shooting towards Israelis where he killed an Israeli and injured others. The Israeli authorities are still holding the body of martyr Al- Khwaja till now. On 28/4/2023, the Israeli authorities notified the family of prisoner Kamal Al- Jouri, accused for shooting operation close to Nablus, with a demolishing order of their house.