Real estate advertisement enticing people to move to the Maskiyot settlement.
One week
ago, Israeli authorities issued a new confiscation order for land belonging to families
from the Bardallah village in the northern valley of the Tubas District.
The
order was for the confiscation of 140 dunam, located very close to the Bisan Israeli
military checkpoint in the valley. The land, most of it used for agriculture,
belongs to Mohammed Rashed Aryan, Hasan Rasheed Aryan, Yahya Mujalli and Izzat
Mohammed Abed al-Rahman.
This order
follows another order for the confiscation of 37 dunam that was issued in the
beginning of August for land in this same area. Additionally, three months ago,
another land confiscation order was issued to confiscate 356 dunam of land
belonging to tens of families in the Samara and Wadi Elmaleh villages. The
targeted land is very close to the Tayseer checkpoint.
In all of
the orders, the aim of confiscation is noted as being for “military and
security reasons.” However, as the Governor
of the Tubas District, Dr. Sami Musallam, told Ma'an News Agency, "the
aim of this new order is to change the status of the 1967 borders as an introduction
to fix facts on the ground before any negotiations about the final issues,
especially the border issue."
The
settlers in the northern valley have begun extensive work to expand some of the
surrounding settlements. Last June, settlers from the Miskiot settlement confiscated
around 100 dunam when they expand the fences of the settlement. The settlers
further engaged in many aggressions against local Palestinian farmers and
shepherds, and prevented them from working their land. One week ago, tens of settlers,
some armed, chased the local Palestinian farmers who came to work in the land closest
to the Miskiot settlement, forcing them to abandon the area.
The Israeli
settlement project started in this valley already in 1968 and now there are 36
settlements and outposts there, in addition to tens of military bases and centers,
some used for military training.
Israeli
proclaimed the northern valley, where most of the villages including Bardallah are
located, a closed military zone already four years ago; only residents actually
residing in the area can pass through the local checkpoints. Many homes were demolished
and others have been threatened with demolition. Not only the homes but also against
medical clinics and schools military demolition orders have been issued, particularly
in the nearby Aqaba and Hudaida villages.
According
to the Alternative
Information Center
(AIC) and other human rights organization documentation, Palestinians in the
area suffer from water shortages, although the area is rich in water sources; most
of the local water is used to supply the Israeli settlements.
According
to local residents, the new military orders signify not only confiscation and
negative impacts on income of the families, but also even more limitations on their
freedom of movement because the confiscated land is so close to Israeli
military checkpoints.
Over
recent months, the Displacement Work Group(DWG)—a coalition of tens of Palestinian,
Israeli and international organizations, has defined this area as one of the
places in which the Israeli occupation policies are implemented daily in order
to push local residents off their land. These policies include home
demolitions, the creation of water shortages, restrictions on freedom of
movement and the building and expansion of settlements.
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