From The Office Of IAP (The Islamic Association for Palestine)
P.O. Box 743533 - Dallas, Texas 75374-
Tel 972/669-9595 - Fax 972/669-9597-
Website: www.iap.org
E-mail- info@iap.org
Amnesty International Report on House Demolitions In The Occupied
Territories
(December 13th, 1999)
The Islamic Association For Palestine (IAP) condemns the continued wanton
destruction of Palestinian homes at the hands of the Israeli government.
In its latest report titled "ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES:
Demolition and Dispossession : the destruction of Palestinian homes,"
Amnesty International outlines the destruction of Palestinian homes which
have taken place in the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Gaza is not
included in this report. In its summary of the report, Amnesty writes:
"Since 1987 the Israeli authorities have demolished at least 2,650
Palestinian homes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, because they
did not have a building permit. As a result 16,700 Palestinians (including
7,300 children ) have lost their homes. The number of demolitions per year
has not fallen since the Declaration of Principles, signed in 1993,
initiated a series of peace accords between Israel and the Palestine
Liberation Organization. On the contrary - although the number of
Palestinians under direct Israeli control is now only one eighth what it
was before, the average number of house demolitions per year - 226 - has
even shown a slight increase."
The report goes on to say that although the number of destroyed homes is
indeed large, it is small compared to the number of homes which now have a
demolition order on them. The report reads:
"At the present time it is believed that 1,300 homes, housing a quarter of
the population in Area C (the area of the West Bank still under full
Israeli control) are under demolition order and perhaps 12,000 homes in
East Jerusalem (over a third of the population)."
The report correctly pointed out that this continued destruction of
Palestinian homes and the denial of opportunity to build legally are
related to a policy of land confiscation from private Palestinian
ownership which is then used exclusively for Israeli development.
Furthermore, discriminatory laws prevent non-Israelis from leasing
confiscated land.
Of course these events have traumatic emotional consequences for those
whose homes have been demolished. They are given no warning of the time
and date of a demolition and the bulldozers arrive accompanied by scores
of soldiers armed with batons and guns. On many occasions members of the
family and other protestors have been beaten by batons or wounded (and
once even killed) by rubber-coated metal bullets.
This policy of continued destruction is a breach of international
humanitarian and human rights treaties which Israel has ratified
including: The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR), The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR) and The International Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). Israel has been condemned by the
United Nations many times for its violations of these treaties. For
example, in 1998 the United Nations Human Rights Committee examined the
initial report of Israel on its implementation of the ICCPR wrote:
"The Committee deplores the demolition of Arab homes as a means of
punishment. It also deplores the practice of demolitions, in part or in
whole, of 'illegally' constructed Arab homes. The Committee notes with
regret the difficulties imposed on Palestinian families seeking to obtain
legitimate construction permits. The Committee considers the demolition of
homes to conflict directly with the obligation of the State party to
ensure without discrimination the right not to be subjected to arbitrary
interference with one's home (art.17), the freedom to choose one's
residence (art.12) and equality of all persons before the law and equal
protection of the law (art. 26)." (CCPR/C/79/Add.93, para.24)
In addition, in 1998 The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, considered Israel's report on its implementation of the
ICERD and called "for a halt to the demolition of Arab properties in East
Jerusalem and for respect for property rights irrespective of the ethnic
origin of the owner". (CERD/C/304/Add.45, para.11)
Furthermore, the house demolitions are a breach of Article 53 of the
Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in
Time of War, states:
"Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property
belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the
State, or to other public authorities, or to social or cooperative
organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered
absolutely necessary by military operations".
There are no "necessary by military operations" for this destruction.
Article 147 of the same Geneva convention defines a number of "grave
breaches" of the Geneva Convention and includes among them: "extensive
destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military
necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly".
By its continued policy of destruction and lack of respect for the rights
of Palestinians, Israel has ignored the many international treaties which
they have agreed to hold up. If this is not state sponsored terrorism,
then we don't know what is. We join our voices with Amnesty International
and urge the United States, Israel's biggest supporter, to exert pressure
on the Israeli government to put an end to its policy of house demolitions
in the Occupied Territories.
The full text of the Amnesty report can be read on the internet at the
following website:
http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/aipub/1999/MDE/51505999.htm
