In the early morning of Monday 16 September, the occupation army invaded the Palestinian Khirbet Makhoul village with three bulldozers and demolished almost the entire village. Attempts by the Red Cross and humanitarian organizations to bring in equipment and tents were thwarted by the army, which threw stun grenades. Consular representatives were shamefully thrown out of the area. On Tuesday 24 September, the Israeli High Court issued an interim injunction allowing the residents to return to their village and preventing its total demolition. During the week residents succeeded in using remains from the demolitions to build eight shelters for themselves and six for their herds. On Thursday 2 October, tens of soldiers invaded the village at 2.30 a.m. and set fire to hay stacks, ripping sheets from four tents and throwing them into the fire in front of the astonished residents. The village’s attorney submitted an urgent complaint to the state attorney’s office, in which he accuses the perpetrators of vandalism and contempt of the High Court order, further demanding the perpetrators be brought to justice.
Residents of Khirbet Makhul next to their demolished homes. September 16, 2013 (Photo: Atef Abu a-Rub, B’Tselem)
The situation of the village is bad. There is insufficient shelter for the residents and their sheep, doves and chickens. There is little food in the area – a few tomatoes and flour. The sheep do “rotation” under the shelter, insufficient for all of them. The winter rainy season is set to begin and the village residents, together with their sheep about to give birth, will have difficulties to survive the cold and rain without shelter. On next Friday (October 11) a solidarity visit to Khirbet Makhoul village in the northern Jordan Valley will be held by Israeli peace activists. We call on activists to join this important visit, during which we will build shelters in protest of the demolitions and abandonment of the residents
The village of Khirbet Makhoul was settled by Palestinians prior to 1948. Following Israel’s occupation in 1967, the army demolished the entire village and its stone homes without any reason. Since then, village residents have resided in temporary structures – tin shacks and tents. Some 120 residents live in the village, of whom 30 are children and 15 elderly. According to the Oslo Agreements, Khirbet Makhoul, like most of the territory of the Palestinian Jordan Valley, is defined as Area C. Over the years, Israel has conducted a policy of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian residents of Area C. For this goal it enlists all means prohibited by international conventions – transferring the occupying population to occupied territories – settlements, land confiscations, taking over natural resources – water and minerals, home demolitions, water deprivation, limiting movement and innumerable harassments to disrupt daily life. The occupied Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills are two prominent examples of this policy.
Related:
Civil Administration demolishes all homes of Khallet Makhul community in Jordan Valley
