In a letter sent last week to the Israeli Civil Administration in the Palestinian occupied territories, representatives of the Palestinian village of Susiya demanded that the authorities freeze all demolitions planned for the village in the coming days. The letter was sent after it became known that the scale of destruction the state seeks to sow in Susiya is much greater than was previously thought, and includes almost half the structures in the village. If the structures are demolished, the residents will have no way to survive in the area in conditions of extreme heat and cold. Accordingly, the action effectively constitutes the expulsion of the residents from their land.
The urgent letter was sent by the village’s legal advisors, Attorneys Quamar Mishriqi Asad and Avital Sharon, to Major Eran Gross, the deputy head of the Infrastructure Division in the Civil Administration. The letter noted that the planned demolitions constitute improper political pressure rather than a plan based on considerations of proper planning or concern for the welfare of the protected residents and public order. The demolitions Israel seeks to execute next week, after the festival of Id al-Fitr, are intended to placate the Jewish settlers in the area who over the years have seized the private land of residents of the village without any intervention on the part of the Civil Administration.
Last Sunday, July 12, the Coordinator of Government Actions in the Territories (COGAT) and representatives of the Civil Administration initiated a meeting with residents of the village of Susiya. During the meeting, the officials advised the residents that due to pressure from the settlers, they would be executing demolitions in the village even prior to August 3, the date scheduled for a hearing by Israel’s Supreme Court of the petition filed by residents of the village. A letter from Major Gross was forwarded to the residents detailing the list of buildings the Civil Administration wants the residents to demolish. The list includes around thirty structures, including residential homes, animal shelters, the village clinic, storerooms, outhouses, etc. These structures serve 74 of the residents of Susiya, including 35 minors, and facilitate the survival of the residents. In addition, the Civil Administration’s list includes six additional structures belonging to the community of Wadi Jahish adjacent to Susiya, for which no prior notification was given and therefore do not form part of the petition submitted to the court. These buildings serve 17 residents, 10 of whom are minors.
Of the buildings slated for demolition by the Civil Administration, 21 were constructed with funding from European governments. The heads of all the missions of the EU member states in Palestine toured Susiya last month and urged the Israeli government to refrain from demolishing the village.
According to B’Tselem: “It should be emphasized that the demolition policy applied by the Israeli authorities in Area C, of which the planned demolition of Susiya forms part, is not based on considerations of planning, building, or law and order. Rather, it constitutes the cynical manipulation of planning laws in order to restrict the presence of the Palestinian population and to expand the settlement enterprise. If the demolition is executed, this will result in irreversible damage and immense suffering for the residents of Susiya. Meanwhile, the homes of residents of the adjacent outposts, which were also built without building permits or master plans, will continue to enjoy the support of the authorities and connection to water and electricity services, without facing threats of demolition.”
Related:
