Brief:
The Israeli army is intending to demolish 11 homes in the small Palestinian village of Khallet Zacharia, in the Gush Etzion Bloc. The Israeli government has also issued a stop work order on a school the village has almost finished building.
Village Profile:
Zacharia is a village of seventy families (about 300 people) marooned inside a triangle of Israeli settlements: Alon Shvut, Rosh Tzurim, and Kfar Etzion. It is accessed by a road through Alon Shvut. It experiences serious problems during Closures, since the children cannot get to school; otherwise it is an extremely independent, self-supporting community, living largely off agriculture.
Background Information:
Khallet Zacharia is located in Area C, which means that it falls under Israeli security and administrative control (although the Palestinian Authority does supply the school’s four teachers). The number of structures demolished in the West Bank between September 2000 and the end of 2004 for punitive, operational, and administrative purposes varies between 2,110 according to Israeli sources, and 2,920 according to ICAHD’s estimates.[1] The Israeli army has demolished the majority of these homes on the grounds that they were built without a permit: Area C is zoned as agricultural land so Palestinians never get building permits in those village areas; in Area B, Palestinians must obtain a building permit from the Israeli army if they want to build on their own land, but permits are rarely granted. Thousands of Palestinians are compelled to build without a permit because they have no other way to provide shelter for their families.[2]
Threat of Home Demolitons
In December 2005, nine demolition orders on village homes were received for the part of the village where there are 35 homes (two homes had received demolition orders previously). Additionally, the three village wells and a donkey “shed” have outstanding demolition orders. The villagers have the tabu deeds for their land, dating to Ottoman days. “We just want to live like other human beings,” said a villager. “We aren’t asking for much, we aren’t asking to be equal to Israelis. Just a home to live in.” If the 11 homes are demolished, the villagers have no alternative place to go.
Stop Work Order on School Construction
In 2003, during the al-Aqsa Intifada, closure prevented the children from reaching school, so the villagers rented two rooms to teach them there. They then raised money to build a local school. The Planning Office of the DCL issued a Stop Work Order on this building, so they stopped. They appealed to Gush Etzion DCL, inviting the army to come and see why they had started building the school. A Druze officer (”A”) came to the village, and promised to help, but apparently did nothing. After further closure in September 2005, the villagers decided to continue building, explaining that closure prevented the children from attending a nearby school and even when they could attend, they had to cross a dangerous settler bypass road. The IDF confiscated workers’ tools and fined them NIS1,000, but a lawyer acquaintance advised them not to pay, as that would resemble an admission of guilt.
The Israeli army Legal Advisor Colonel Shlomo Politus told the Israeli Parliament in July 2003 that: “…there are no more construction permits for Palestinians,” and the IDF spokesperson told Amnesty International in 1999 that “Our policy is not to approve building in Area C [of the West Bank].” By contrast, Israeli authorities have built tens of thousands of houses for Israeli settlers on confiscated Palestinian land throughout Area C, in violation of international law.
For more actions needed and additional details, including village contacts and photographs, please contact ICAHD:
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, Action Advocacy Officer
Phone: 972-2-672-8771 or 972-547-366393
Email: angela@icahd.org
What can you do? More than you probably realize.
Please fax or email letters to the following list of policy makers, protesting these home demolitions and urging them to allow Khallet Zacharia to complete construction on its school.
A sample letter is provided below.
Dear _____,
I am writing to you because I am very concerned about what is happening to the peaceful village of Khallet Zacharia, in the West Bank. The IDF plans to demolish 11 homes in Khallet Zacharia, an action which will leave many families homeless. This action is a grave damage to peace efforts. The plan contravenes the Road Map, which specifies that “the government of Israel take no actions undermining trust…including confiscation and/or demolition of Palestinian homes and property.”
Additionally, I am concerned to hear that the IDF has issued a stop work order on the school the villagers have been building. Khallet Zacharia has raised all the money itself to build a school within its village, because children could not attend school during IDF-imposed closures (often lasting weeks) and, even when they could attend school, they had to cross a large and dangerous settler-only road. I remind you of your commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which Article 26 clearly states that all children have the right to education. Allowing Khallet Zacharia to complete its school will allow the children safe access to education, even during closures.
I appeal to you:
- To follow international law;
- To do all in your power to cancel the plan to demolish 11 homes in Khallet Zacharia;
- To cancel the stop work order; and
- To allow Khallet Zacharia to complete construction of its school.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Name / Address
If you have the ability, a fax is generally worth 10 emails.
Phone, fax, or email your representatives directly. If you are a U.S. Resident or citizen, find your representative’s contact information at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.
If you live in Britain, contact your constituency MP. You can also book an appointment to see your MP at his or her surgery. If you are unsure who your MP is, your local library or the following website will supply details: www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alcm.cfm
Please also contact Israeli policy makers:
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Fax: +972-2-6513955
Email: pniot@mod.gov.il
Attorney General Menahem Mazuz
Fax: +972-2-6285438
Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni
Fax: 972-2-5303704
Email: sar@mofa.gov.il
Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz
Fax: 972-3-6976218
Email: sar@mod.gov.il
Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni
Fax: 972-2-6287757
Email: sar@justice.gov.il
Minister of Construction and Housing Ze’ev Boim
Fax: 972-2-5847688
Email: sar@moch.gov.il
To help us gauge the response, please send a cc of your messages to lucia@icahd.org.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Post this ICAHD action to other listservs and websites.
Many thanks for your help! Together we can make a difference.
[1] Margolit Meir. “The Truth Behind Formal Statistics Demolition of illegal houses in the West Bank during,” 2004 15 May 2005.
icahd.org/eng/articles.asp?menu=6&submenu=2&article=198
[2] B’tselem “Planning and Building”
www.btselem.org/English/Planning_and_Building/Index.asp
