Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center – SHAMS has released its monthly documentation report for June 2023, shedding light on the Israeli violations against Palestinian establishments. The report highlights incidents of demolitions, confiscations, and notifications with demolishing orders carried out by Israeli authorities during this period. The Israeli Authorities target the various types of Palestinian establishments, including, religious, and tourism, industrial, commercial, official, and agricultural establishments. The focus of the Israeli policy is on demolishing the Palestinian houses and residential units. SHAMS Center usually publishes periodical documentation reports (monthly, semiannually, and annually) about this type of violations and other types committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians.
Alike the other reports published by SHAMS Center, the current one is built on field research methodology through the Center’s team of field researchers, who documented the Israeli violations against Palestinian establishment for the current period (1- 30/6/2023). The documentation covers the various governorates of the West Bank where the collected data is processed, analyzed, and presented to readers in an easily readable manner in the form of tables. Data is presented against a group of comprehensive indicators (qualitative and quantitative) to have better reflect the situation. During June, the Israeli authorities targeted 84 Palestinian establishments through demolishing and notifications with future demolishing orders.
The major form of violations was demolishing that targeted 45 establishments, including 10 establishments within the policy of self- demolishing (owners are obligated to demolish their establishments on their own to avoid paying exaggerated financial fines or being arrested in case they do not do). The demolished establishments were under the claim of unlicensed building. One of the demolished establishments is owned by a woman where the Israeli Occupation Municipality in Jerusalem demolished a house owned by a Palestinian woman from Wadi Al- Jouz. The claim for demolishing this house is that it is built on green land that is not dedicated for urbanization. The house is inhabited by 8 persons including 2 women and 5 children who were evacuated outdoors. One of the children has mental and physical disability.
As for the notifications, the owners of 38 establishments were notified with orders of demolishing, evacuation, or stop construction. The notified establishments included houses, residential tents, residential barracks, agricultural establishments, commercial establishments, livestock sheds/ barracks, and a school
Additionally, on the entrance of Idna Town- Hebron, the Israeli authorities confiscated a mobile barrack, under the claim of unlicensed building.
The first indicator within the report is dedicated to highlight the distribution of the targeted establishments (through demolishing or notifications with demolishing orders) based on type. In this sense, the demolished establishments included: houses (18), residential barracks (2), residential tents (4), agricultural rooms (1), water wells (1), car wash (1), retaining walls (3), commercial establishments (2), livestock barracks/ sheds (8), stones terraces (2), wooden rooms (1), horses stables (1), and cars repair garage (1).
As for the types of the notified establishments, they included: houses (23), residential tents (5), residential barracks (1), livestock barracks/ sheds (2), and schools (1).
The confiscated establishments included one mobile caravan.
The second indicator tackled the geographical distribution of the demolished establishments where the majority was in Jerusalem (24) and (10) were in Toubas.
As for the notifications with demolishing, stop construction, or eviction orders, the majority was in Hebron (21) and there were (7) in Toubas. Analyzing the distributed notifications will contribute predict the future trend of targeting the Palestinian establishments.
The confiscated mobile caravan was in Hebron.
The third indicator tackled the targeted population as all the establishments are owned by Palestinians. During June, 146 Palestinians, including 48 children and 30 females (women/ girls) were affected by the Israeli violations.
Regarding the claims proposed by the occupation authorities to legalize the crimes against Palestinian establishments, during the current month, the Israeli authorities demolished (33) establishments, out of (45), under the claim of unlicensed building in areas classified as (C). 3 houses were demolished within the policy of collective punishment applied against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation. 5 establishments were demolished under the claim that the land, on which they are built, will be used for public interest. 2 establishments were demolished under the claim that they are built on an archeological site and 2 were demolished under the claim that the land is green area but not dedicated for urban expansion.
Regarding the notified establishments, the Israeli authorities notified the owners of 36 establishments with demolishing orders or stop construction, or evacuation, under the claim of unlicensed building in areas classified as (C) in the West Bank. The owners of one establishment were notified with demolishing order within the policy of collective punishment against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation. The owner of one establishment was notified with a demolishing order under the claim of being built on an archeological site.
The confiscated establishment was under the claim of unlicensed building.
Concerning self- demolishing, 10 establishments out of the 84 demolished establishments were demolished within this policy, under the claim of unlicensed building. Self- demolishing is one of the most racism policies applied against Palestinians where Jerusalemites are obligated to participate in committing the crimes against themselves. Palestinian Jerusalemites are forced to demolish their establishments on their own, because if they do not do, then the Israeli machines will demolish the establishment, but the owner should pay the cost of the demolishing as estimated by the Israeli authorities themselves. Usually, the Israeli authorities exaggerate in estimating the cost of the demolishing process and the owner might be arrested till he/ she pays the financial fine. Self- demolishing is a policy applied by the various Israeli authorities (municipality, courts, and other authorities) in clear manifestation of the oppressive policy that Palestinians face.
Within demolishing houses as collective punishment against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation to deter other Palestinians from being involved in the resistance, the Israeli authorities demolished 5 houses during June in Salfeet, Qalqilia, and Ramallah owned by families of Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation.