Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, issued its monthly documentation report for March 2024 about targeting the Palestinian establishments by the Israeli occupation through demolishing, confiscation, or notification orders of demolishing/ stopping construction. The Israeli authorities usually target the various types of Palestinian establishments including, religious, tourism, industrial, commercial, educational, or official institutions, but the focus is on the residential facilities. In this regard, SHAMS Center issues periodically monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually documentation reports about these kinds of violations and other kinds of violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians.
The report is based on a field documentation methodology through the team of the Center and the field researchers who documented the violations in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, where the current report covers the period 1-31/3/2024. The collected data is analyzed and processed to be presented in the form of easily read tables and graphs, against several qualitative and quantitative indicators. During this month, the Israeli authorities targeted 72 establishments, owned by Palestinians, through demolishing, confiscation, and distributing military orders with notifications to demolishing or stopping construction.
The major form of the violations during the current month was demolishing as 48 establishments were demolished including 4 establishments within the policy of self-demolishing where the owners are obligated to demolish their establishments on their own to avoid exaggerated financial fines or detention till the fine is paid.
As for the notifications, 4 establishments were notified with orders to demolish or stop construction (one house and 3 agricultural rooms).
Israeli settlers, protected by the Israeli army, seized 20 barracks near Al Muaarajat Road northwest of Jericho, owned by Bedwin Gatherings. This action, reflecting the Israeli army and settlers’ policy to pressure Palestinian Bedwin groups to vacate their lands aims to force them off their property and land to create new facts.
The first indicator within the report reflects the types of targeted establishments (demolished, confiscated, or notified with demolishing/ stopping construction orders). The demolished establishments included houses (11), residential rooms (4), residential tents (2), agricultural rooms (3), retaining walls (3), water wells/ pools (1), commercial/ industrial establishments (7), livestock barracks/ sheds (11), warehouses (2), base for a building (1), poultry barracks (1), waste sorting stations (1), and gas station (1).
The notified establishments included houses (1), and agricultural rooms (3), and the confiscated establishments were residential barracks (20).
The second indicator is dedicated to the geographical distribution of the demolished establishments where the majority was in Jericho/ Jordan Valley Governorate (18 establishments) and there were (8) establishments in Jenin.
Regarding the notifications of demolishing, confiscating, evacuation, or stopping construction orders, which deprive Palestinians of the right to utilize their establishments and properties, the Israeli authorities notified the owners of 4 establishments with military orders of demolishing or stopping construction, in Bethlehem and Jenin Governorates. Revising the distribution of the notifications will help predict the future tendency of targeting Palestinian establishments.
The occupation authorities confiscated 20 establishments in Jericho/ Jordan Valley Governorate.
As for the claims proposed by the Israeli authorities to legalize the crimes against Palestinian establishments, 35 establishments out of 48 demolished ones, were under the claim of being built without a license in areas classified as (c) in the West Bank. 2 establishments were demolished within the policy of collective punishments against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation to deter others from being involved in the national resistance. One establishment was demolished without a reason or any prior notification. 10 establishments were demolished to expand the settlement spots and to push Palestinians to evacuate their land.
Regarding the notification orders, the owners of three establishments were notified with military orders to stop construction under the claim of an unlicensed building while the owner of one establishment was notified with a demolishing order within the policy of collective punishment against Palestinians involved in resisting the occupation.
The settlers confiscated 20 establishments within the process of aggressive attacks committed by the Israeli army and settlers against Palestinians. The Israeli army and settlers confiscated 20 barracks close to Al Muaarajat Road, owned by a Palestinian Bedwin Gathering in order to push them evacuate the area.
Concerning self-demolishing, which represents a form of structured oppression where Palestinians are obligated to demolish their establishments on their own to avoid paying the high costs of demolishing in case it was done by the Israeli authorities. The Israeli authorities obligate Jerusalemites to pay the costs of demolishing their establishments, where there is always exaggeration in estimating these costs. Jerusalemites might be arrested till the fine is paid, for that, Jerusalemites prefer to demolish the establishments on their own as the costs, in this case, are less. The self-demolishing is a form of racism policy where all the Israeli-related parties (municipality, courts, and police) are involved in applying such a policy. During March, the Israeli authorities obligated the owners of 4 establishments to demolish them on their own. The owners decided to demolish the establishments of their own to avoid paying the exaggerated financial fines or being arrested till the fine is paid, in case the demolishing process was done by the Israeli Authorities.