13 May 1996

Israeli High Court Approves Four House Demolitions in Anata Village

Today, 13 May, the Israeli High Court refused the petition, submitted by attorneys for the Land and Water Establishment, to prevent the demolition of four homes in Anata village, near Jerusalem. The houses have been served demolition orders because they lay just outside of the arbitrarily-imposed zoning plan for the village.

Anata was cut in half after the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967- part of it lies in Jerusalem, part over the green line in the West Bank. Because most of Anata lies in the West Bank, the zoning plans for this village are drawn up by the committee for planning in the Israeli Civil Administration (the military body which rules the West Bank by decree). These arbitrarily-imposed zoning plans, for Anata and most other villages and towns in the West Bank, are another tool of occupation to eliminate the possibility of village expansion, destroy the agricultural economies of these areas by zoning agricultural land outside the village limits, and to maximize areas for settlement expansion. The plans are drawn up with no participation of the local population and no consideration of local needs and economic, social and cultural factors. If your home lies outside these village limits, it is impossible to obtain a permit for it and is therefore vulnerable to demolition.

On 20 November 1995, after the Civil Administration approved the restrictive zoning plan for Anata, the people of the village submitted a High Court petition against the plan. Until now, the case is still pending in the High Court

Today, 13 May, the hearing was scheduled to hear the petition to stop the demolitions. LAWE appeared at the hearing to defend the homes on the grounds that there was an unresolved High Court case against the zoning plans, and that therefore it was unlawful to demolish the homes on the premise that they are located outside the village limits. The Israeli High Court refused this petition, and upheld the Civil Administration's decision to destroy the houses. Another 20 families will be affected by this decision, as their homes also lie outside the new, restrictive village limits.

Anata has lost over two-thirds of its land due to confiscations and zoning plans since 1967, and now it stands to lose many homes as well. Already there is a housing crisis in Anata due to the lack of space on which to expand. With the continuing total closure, the economic as well as housing situation for its West Bank population has become critical. Anata cannot afford to lose any homes, and LAWE fears that these four are just the beginning.

LAWE appeals for an immediate response from the international community to halt these demolitions. International pressure has made a difference in the past, as with the scheduled demolitions in Hebron which have now been postponed. You can make a difference. We ask that you fax either: Prime Minister Shimon Peres, fax: (972) (2) 664 383 and/or Minister of Justice David Liba'i, fax: (972) (2) 285438 and/or Minister of the Environment Yossi Sarid, fax: (972) (2) 653 5958.

Land and Water Establishment is a Palestinian non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAWE is also the West Bank affiliate of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.