The occupation demolishes residential and agricultural facilities in the village of Al-Fakhit in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron

January 12, 2022

• Violation: Demolition of 7 residential and agricultural facilities.
• Violation date: 12/01/2022.
• Location: Al-Fakhit – Masafer Yatta / Hebron Governorate.
• The aggressor: the so-called Israeli Civil Administration.
• Affected party: Citizens Muhammad and Akram Abu Sabha.

The violation details:

On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished residential and agricultural facilities, under the pretext that they were built without permiossions, in the village of Al-Fakhit, in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron Governorate.

At about 9:30 a.m., a large force of the occupation army, the so-called Border Guard, and the Civil Administration’s personnel stormed the village, bringing with them two bulldozers, one produced by Caterpillar and the other by JCB, in addition to workers from an Israeli civil company, targeting the facilities of citizens, Muhammad Ayoub  Abu Sabha and Akram Sari Abu Sabha.

 Photos 1-4: Rubble of the citizens’ homes and facilities in the village of Al-Fakhit

The occupation authorities began to demolish the facilities of the citizen Muhammad Ayoub Abu Sabha first, after the occupation soldiers had surrounded the site of the facilities and kept the citizens away from them. Then, the workers accompanying them emptied the buildings of their assets and collectibles, and threw them in the open, then, the bulldozers demolished them, which are as follows:

 1- An agricultural barrack which was  built of tin sheets and metal columns in 2018, and has an area of (120 m2). It was used for raising livestock, and the occupation authorities had notified its owner of the demolition on 01/27/2020 to stop work on it and demolish it.

2- A house built in 2016 of brick sides and roofed with tin panels with an area of 30 m2.

3- Another house built of curtains, iron columns and arches installed on a concrete floor which was constructed  in 2016 as well, and has an area of (40 m2).

4- An agricultural barrack -livestock barn- built of tin plates, metal poles and surrounded by stone retaining walls and barbed wire, with an area of (150 m2) built since 2015. It was used to raise and shelter livestock (about 120 heads).

5- A bird cage built of tin sheets since 2016, with an area of (20 m2), used for raising domestic pigeons, which contributes to the family’s source of income.

6- A water collection well: dug into the rock and roofed with reinforced concrete with a capacity of (80 m3). It was used for watering livestock and agricultural purposes, and it was built in 2016.

A family of 14 people, including 7 children  live in these houses that were demolished by the occupation.

The occupation authorities had targeted these facilities with notices to stop work and construction on (21/2/2016) and then followed them up with final demolition orders on the pretext that they were built without permissions. Although the citizen applied for a permit, the occupation authorities refused the request and insisted on demolition of these facilities, which necessitated the citizen to submit a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court rejected  the petition in it session  8165 held on January 2, 2022 under the pretext that they are located in an area classified as a “firing zone”, meaning that it is considered a training ground for the occupation army from the perspective of the occupation authorities.

Once the occupation authorities have demolished the facilities of the citizen Muhammad Ayoub Abu Sabha, they headed towards the facility of citizen Akram Sari Abu Sabha and demolished it without warning. It was a barrack with an area of about (120 m2) that the citizen had built to house the herd of livestock he owned after the occupation had demolished the previous one on 10/18/2020.

It should be noted that the village of Al-Fakhit, located in Masafer Yatta, is considered one of the villages threatened with demolition and deportation, after the occupation authorities issued notices and demolition orders to all the buildings of the village. The occupation authorities consider this village and the villages of Masafer Yatta in general as illegal due to their location on lands classified as “firing zones” . Therefore, the occupation authorities insist on demolishing these villages to serve their army and colonists after the establishment  of a number of settlements and colonial outposts in their vicinity.