from CPT: Israeli military delivers demolition orders for six Palestinian homes
[Note: According to the Geneva Conventions, the International Court of Justice in the Hague, and numerous United Nations resolutions, all Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal. Settlement outposts are considered illegal also under Israeli law.]
In the afternoon of 13 September 2009, members from the Israeli District Coordinating Office (DCO), accompanied by Israeli soldiers, delivered demolition orders for six Palestinian houses near the village of At-Tuwani.
Palestinian families recently built these houses on their own land in the Humra Valley. On the night of 16 July, while some of the houses were still under construction, one building was destroyed and a nearby olive tree damaged. The Palestinian family suspected that Israeli settlers from the nearby settlement Ma’on or the outpost Havat Ma’on had perpetrated the vandalism. The family began rebuilding their house the next day.
On 20 July 2009, the Israeli military delivered stop work orders on the houses and two other structures, including a cistern. Now that the families have received demolition orders, they fear the Israeli military will soon destroy the houses.
The Israeli military severely restricts Palestinian building in the South Hebron Hills region, designated Area C under the Oslo Accords, which means it is under full Israeli control. However, the nearby Israeli settlements of Ma’on and Carmel and the outposts of Avigail and Havat Ma’on continue to expand. Members of Christian Peacemaker Teams and Operation Dove have documented continuous expansion in these settlements since 2004.
Photos from the day are available at http://tinyurl.com/kkb4ez
