Facing Expulsion

This morning, Tuesday 30 July 2019, at around 6:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived at Khirbet a-Ras al-Ahmar in the northern Jordan Valley with a military escort, a bulldozer, and a truck with a crane. The forces dismantled and confiscated for the second time three tents that were used as a home for a family of nine, including four children. One of the tents was donated by the Red Cross after another tent was demolished. The forces also confiscated a solar panel belonging to the same family. The forces dismantled and confiscated three tents used by another resident as livestock pens; these tents were also donated by a humanitarian organization after the previous demolition. Two feeding troughs were also confiscated.
Later, at around 1:00 P.M., Civil Administration personnel accompanied by a bulldozer arrived at Khirbet Wadi al-Faw, to the south of Khirbet ‘Ein al-Hilweh in the northern Jordan Valley. The forces demolished a tent used for seasonal residency by a family of eight, including three children, as well as a livestock pen owned by the family.

In a separate incident yesterday, Monday 29 July 2019, at around 1:00 P.M. soldiers accompanied by police officers and officials from the Mekorot water company, equipped with a tow-truck, arrived in the village of Bardala in the northern Jordan Valley. The forces confiscated a truck fitted with excavation equipment after several residents of the village attempted to dig a water cistern on their farmland.

Today (Sunday, 28 July 2019), at around 9:00 A.M., Israeli soldiers came to the South Hebron Hills, bringing a bulldozer. They heaped piled up boulders and sandpiles to block access from Route 317 onto two roads that lead to the town of Yata and serve the community of She’b al-Batem. In March this year, the Israeli forces blocked the access roads to the community, but the residents later reopened the routes. The closure doubles journey times from the community to the regional center Yata. The forces also used boulders to block the turning from Route 317 onto a road leading to the southern entrance to the village of a-Samu’a, thereby blocking the access between the communities of Khirbet a-Rafat and Khirbet Wadi al-‘Amayer, to the north of the road, and Khirbet al-Kharabah and Khirbet Ghuwein al-Fauqa, to the south.

On Tuesday, 16 July 2019, at around noon, Civil Administration personnel arrived at the community of Khalet al-Furn, east of the village of Bani Na’im in east Hebron, with soldiers, Border Police officers and a bulldozer. The forces demolished a water cistern used for farming. The forces then proceeded south to Khirbet Ghuwein al-Fauqa, south of the town of a-Samu’ and demolished a shack used as a livestock pen.

Today, Thursday, 4 July 2019, at around 9:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with soldiers, Border Police officers and four bulldozers at Khirbet a-Duqaiqah in the South Hebron Hills. The forces uprooted 500 forest trees planted in a nature reserve in 2014 for the benefit of local residents and destroyed four water cisterns used to irrigate them.

Yesterday, Wednesday, 3 July 2019, at around 8:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with soldiers, Border Police officers, four bulldozers and an excavator at the nature reserve between the villages of Um al-Kheir and a-Najada (Humeida) in the South Hebron Hills. The forces uprooted some 300 acacia trees planted about 12 years ago and destroyed a fence that had been put up around the area.

At about 8:30 this morning, 17 June 2019, Civil Administration officials came with an escort of soldiers, Border Police and two bulldozers, two Khirbet Khilet a-Dabe' in the South Hebron Hills. The force demolished a structure made out of cement blocks and a tin roof that was home to a family of 12, including 7 children. The force also demolished the family's power room and confiscated a solar panel. The homeowner, who tried to prevent the demolition, was knocked over by police. The troops then went on to Khirbet al-Halawah. At 11:00 A.M. they demolished another three cement block structures with corrugated metal roofs that were home to three families, leaving 21 people, including 11 children, homeless.

​ ​On 12 June 2019, at around 7:30 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived at Khirbet Um al-Kheir, in the South Hebron Hills, with a military and Border Police escort and two bulldozers. The forces demolished a caravan used as a home by a family of ten, including seven minors. From there, the forces proceeded east, to the community of Khashm a-Daraj, where they demolished a shack used as a livestock pen.

This morning, 12 June 2019, at around 7:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived at Khirbet a-Ras al-Ahmar in the northern Jordan Valley with a military escort and two bulldozers. The forces demolished six tents used as residences by two families with a total of 15 members, including 7 minors. The forces also demolished six tents used as livestock pens as well as a tin livestock pen. The forces then proceeded north, to an area that stretches between the Palestinian villages of al-'Aqabah and Tayasir, where they demolished a water cistern a farmer from Tayasir dug about three months ago for irrigation.