• Violation:  depositing new master plan for a colony
• Location: Al-Sawyeh, Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya, Yatma villages
• Date: August 02, 2016
• Perpetrators: Higher Planning Council- Israel Civil Administration
• Victims: farmers of the villages

Details:

Al-Quds newspaper featured on August 02, 2016 a master plan that is issued by the Higher Planning Council- Israel Civil Administration for Rachelim colony. The new plan will take advantage of some lands from the northern part of Nablus city.

Photo 1: The Ad in Al Quds daily newspaper

According to the plan, the occupation gave itself the right to seize lands and change their use and status for the favor of colonial expansion in the area. The confiscation of lands came on the claim of "security purposes".

The plan also mentioned that the target lands of Al-Sawyyeh village are founded in the natural block no.8 ; more specifically in the locations of Ard Al-Dalmih and Khallet Wasil. Also,  some locations from the natural block no. 6  and 9 from AL-Lubban Al-Sharqiya in addition to the natural block no.7 from Yatama villages were targeted by the order.

The occupation seeks to create a de facto concerning the colonization in the area through reinforcing the colonial expansion of colonies and outposts.

As for Rachelim colony, the new plan was put to create a new roads network and to determine the nature and classifications of constructions proposed in the area. Also, the plan included the establishment of public parks and facilities that serve the colony and attract colonists to live in the colony.

Photos 2-4: the expanding colony of Rachelim

 

About Rachelim:

Rachelim colony started on a confiscated plot from Yatma village in 1999 for the sake of establishing a military base in the area. By the year 2002, the Israeli occupation authorities allowed 19 caravans in the area; it is when the colony started. Twelve years later, the colony confiscated more than 450 dunums from the villages of Iskaka, Yasuf and Yatma (Geographical Information System-Land Research Center). The Israeli occupation, now, plans to take over the whole area to spread its outposts over it, attempting at creating the Grater Rachelim plan.

Land Research Center sees Israel continuous expansion on colonies in the West Bank and Jerusalem at the expense of Palestinians and lands a flagrant violation of Human Rights and all international laws and conventions, which prohibit disposition of public properties in occupied countries.

UN Resolutions

UN Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967: calls for

• the Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
• Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." [4]

UN Security Council Resolution 449 of 1979: the Security Council determined:

• "that the policy and practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East"

UN Security Council Resolution 452 of 1979: states that

• "the policy of Israel in establishing settlements in the occupied Arab territories has no legal validity and constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949"  and "calls upon the Government and people of Israel to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem."

UN Security Council Resolution 465 of 1980:

• It expressed concern at Israeli settlement policy in the Arab territories and recalled resolutions 237 (1967), 252 (1968), 267 (1969), 271(1969) and 298 (1971). It further called upon the State and people of Israel to dismantle such settlements. The resolution calls on all states ‘not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connection with settlements in the occupied territories’.

 

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC