A New Confiscation Order for the Segregation Wall in Beit Jala

10,June,2004

The 50 Km2 Israeli crisscross Segregation Wall to enclave Bethlehem district as a part of the disengagement plan to isolate and dissect the Palestinian territories, just had another piece of it exposed as the ''Segregation Wall formation''. The Wall became more visible with regard to its path and destructive consequences to the very social fabric of the Palestinian communities it penetrates.   On June 2, 2004, residents of Beit Jala town, ''received'' a new Israeli military order declaring the Israeli Army decision to confiscate 11.8 dunums for the construction of the Segregation Wall which is penetrating the lands of Beit Jala from east to west. See map of military order as distributed by the Israeli army.     The Israeli confiscation order that was issued in May 19, 2004 and tossed by the Israeli Army at the targeted area held tag number 04/57/T. The following is a translation of the military order:     Military Order Translation   Israel Defense Forces  Order to Seize lands #  04/57/T  According to my jurisdictions as a Military Chief Commander in the Region of Judea and Samaria, and as I believe that it is imperative for military purposes, I order the following:   Key Terms   1. With regard to:   ''Map''- Map drawing scale of 1/ 10,000 signed by my self and considered inseparable part of the order at hand.   The Lands   An area of land size of 11, 8 Dunums (250 meters length & 22-74 meters width) marked in red in the map illustrating Beit Jala's land.   Beit Jala (Shomeh Block)   Bloc 28049: parcels:134/ 129-130/ 109-117/ 106/ 90-92   Land Seize   2. I declare that the above-mentioned lands seized for military purposes.   Possession   3. The Israeli Defense Army declares absolute possession of stated lands and authorizes it to the land officer at the central command headquarters under the Ministry of Defense.   Issuance   4. Copies of the order at hand are to be delivered to the District Coordination Office (DCO) in Bethlehem who will in its turn pass the order on to the landowners.   Allocation   5 (A)-1: All means to notify the Landowners of the land seizure; either through the District Coordination Office (DCO) in Bethlehem or other mean is considered valid.   5 (A)-2: A tour/ meeting will be arranged through the District Coordination Office (DCO) in Bethlehem to tour the designated land.    5 (B) Copies of the order at hand along with the attached map are to be located at the following places for public reference: District Coordination Offices (DCO) in Bethlehem Offices of the Judicial Advisor for the Region of Judea and Samaria Office of the Ministry of Defense delegation officer at the civil administration Office of the Absentee and public lands contact officer at the civil administration. To File an Objection   6. land owner are entitled to file an objection regarding the seizure order to the legal counselor through the District Coordination Office (DCO) in Bethlehem within 7 days of the tour (5 (A)-2).   Compensation Inquiries   7. For inquiries regarding compensations, the landowners are to contact the District Coordination Office (DCO) in Bethlehem.   Order Effect   8. The order will go in effect at the time of its signing to December 31, 2005   Identify   9. The order at hand will be identified as ''Land Seize Order # 04/57/T (Judea and Samaria) 2004-5764''.  Mosheh Kaplenski Chief Commander of the Israel Defense Forces in Judea & Samaria                                 Signature   The new order (04/57/T) comes as part of a comprehensive order to isolate the northern and western extent of Beit Jala; thus, denies the residents their natural territorial expansion areas, in addition to detaching the agricultural lands (approximately 8000 dunums). See map of military order   The new order came as an addition to the Israeli military order issued on March 19, 2004, identified as 04/32/T, to seize 175.6 dunums of Beit Jala and Al-Walaja lands. For more information click here. The 04/57/T military order included an area of 11,8 dunums to enfold the outlet of one end of the northwestern tunnel located along bypass road # 60 section penetrating Beit Jala's lands. The area confiscated belongs to several families of Beit Jala and is planted with olive trees, in addition to one residence directly adjacent to the tunnel entrance which will become inaccessible to its residents as the only side road leading to the house will be sealed off once the segregation wall is erected.   The Segregation Wall in Bethlehem district is in schedule to complete before the end of 2004 according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense, which carries out the implantation of the Segregation Wall in the occupied Palestinian Territory.   Related articles:- The Segregation Wall: A skyline in Beit Jala, April 7, 2004. Cutting the umbilical cord between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, March 9, 2004. Israeli's new border plan north of Bethlehem. January 28, 2003

Prepared by The Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem ARIJ