Israeli occupation authorities to establish a cemetery on confiscated lands from Salfit governorate
- Violation: establishing an Israeli cemetery on Palestinian lands
- Location: isolated lands behind the apartheid wall
- Date: June 01, 2016
- Perpetrators: Ariel colonists
- Victims: farmers from Salfit
Details:
The settlement council of Ariel colony that is founded on confiscated lands from Salfit city and Kifl Haris village seized some isolated lands behind the apartheid wall. The target land that was isolated in 2000 belongs to Bani Nimra family.
In 2014, the occupation grabbed a vast area of land behind the wall on the claim of "Security Purposes". Farmers get denied access to their lands after such claim. As a result, more than 15 dunums of olive groves are now abandoned.
On June 2016, the settlement council of Ariel colony embarked on establishing a cemetery on the land that was seized by a military order with the claim of "Security purposes".
Photos 1-3: Ariel colony
For religious people, the existence of such cemetery is clue of Jewish ownership of the land. This cause Judaization to move faster to reach more Palestinian areas; especially those located in the nearby of Israeli colonies.
About Ariel:
It is one of the biggest colonies in size in Salfit governorate. The occupation gave it the title of "Capital of Samaria". Ariel dates back to 1978; it is when the colony was established in the aftermath of Camp David agreement between Egypt and Israel.
The colony started on 500 confiscated dunums from Salfit city and Marda village to later seize 13775 dunums, of which 2479 dunums are the colony's built-up area.
Ariel now accommodates a religious collage and a number of factories, hotels and residential blocs. Until 2005, its total population mounted up to 16520 colonists.
The municipal borders of the colony is four times the size of its built-up area. This gives it the advantage to potential and future expansions.
UN Security Council resolutions in regard to Israeli colonies:
UN Security Council resolution 446, article 3 " Calls once more upon Israel, as the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, to rescind its previous measures and to desist from taking any action which would result in changing the legal status and geographical nature and materially affecting the demographic composition of the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and, in particular, not to transfer parts of its own civilian population into the occupied Arab territories;"
- Un Security Council resolution 452, article 3"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;"
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Un Security Council resolution 465, Strongly deplores the continuation and persistence of Israel in pursuing those policies and practices and calls upon the Government and people of Israel to rescind those measures, to dismantle the existing settlements and in particular to cease, on an urgent basis, the establishment, construction and planning of settlements in the Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem;
Calls upon all States not to provide Israel with any assistance to be used specifically in connexion with settlements in the occupied territories; -
Un Security Council resolution 242, Affirms that the fulfilment of Charter principles requires the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East which should include the application of both the following principles:
(i) Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict;
(ii) 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;
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
