13 February 1997

Today, LAW submitted a petition to the Israeli High Court to stop the demolition of two homes in Sair, Hebron. Yesterday the Israeli military demolished a partially built house nearby and informed the two families that they would return to demolish their homes. The two houses, which belong to Mohammed Mator and to Hamdi Shehadeh, were built over two years ago. Their families and young children have been living there since. Shehadeh’s wife is eight months pregnant. The Israeli military administration usually demolishes homes on the basis that they were built without permits, although in Sair and most parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories it is virtually impossible for a Palestinian to obtain a building permit. However, most of the houses being demolished at this time are actually destroyed to make way for by-pass roads constructed for Jewish settlers, or for Jewish settlement expansion. · On 12 February, five houses, a cistern and considerable amount of agricultural land were demolished in the Hebron area. · On 4 February, one house was demolished in Jabbah village near Hebron, ostensibly for having no permit. Tens of other families received demolition notices. Residents believe that their houses will be demolished in order to make way for the widening of the settler’s by-pass road which connects the Jewish settlement of Kfar Etzion with Beit Shemesh. · On 4 February, a house located near the by-pass road number 60 was demolished in el Khader village, for having no permit. · On 3 February, four houses were demolished in the Jenin area. · On 28 January, in the Ramallah area four homes were demolished in Area C, ostensibly for having no permit. Over 24 people were left homeless. The Israeli radio announced at this time that the freeze on house demolitions, which had been imposed during the talks on Hebron, had been lifted. · On 23 January, a home was destroyed in the Jenin area, without warning or explanation from the Israeli military authorities. Thirteen people lived in this home. · On 14 and 27 January and 11 February, Israeli military forces forcibly and violently evicted a total of thirty families, or over 150 people, of the Jahalin Bedouin tribe to make way for the expansion of the illegal Jewish settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim. They were evicted from the area which they had inhabited for over 40 years and moved to a site 500 meters from the Jerusalem municipality garbage dump. They were provided freight containers as alternative housing. About 17 families remain at risk of forcible expulsion. · On 23 January, the Ramallah-based “Al Ayyam” newspaper announced the discovery of a report which targets some 700 Palestinian homes in the West Bank as having been built without a permit and therefore vulnerable to demolition. Sources stated that the military authorities have prepared documents and maps showing the location of the homes, mainly located near military areas or near settler bypass roads.

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.