Ref: 105/2011

For the fourth consecutive week, the Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued bulldozing activities and uprooting
dozens of fruitful trees in al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem to
construct a new part of the annexation wall in preparation for the isolation of
al-Walaja village from Bethlehem and the annexation of this villages’ lands
under the management of Jerusalem Municipality. The Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights (PCHR) condemns these bulldozing activities and recalls the
Advisory Opinion issued on 09 July 2004 by the International Court of Justice,
which considers the construction of the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank
illegal and calls for its removal. PCHR calls upon the international community
to take immediate action and compel Israel to stop the construction of the
annexation wall and to destroy the parts of the wall which have already been
constructed.

According to field investigations, on 03
October 2011, IOF started the implementation of bulldozing activities in farms
and uprooting of trees in targeted lands in Ein al-Hadfa area, Khellet al-Samak
area and Ein Jweiza area in al-Walaja village. These bulldozing activities are
aimed at preparing infrastructures for the construction of a new part of the
annexation wall and for the extension of a road along the annexation wall in
the west and northwest of al-Walaja village. More that 90 agricultural dunums
have been bulldozed since the start of the bulldozing activities. In addition,
more than 230 olive trees, almond trees, grapevines, cypress trees and oak
trees have been uprooted.

In this context, the PCHR fieldworker reported
that IOF have bulldozed approximately across a length of 1,800 meters with
widths between 20 and 30 meters. In addition, IOF have isolated other large
areas in the west of al-Walaja village, including the cemetery of the village.
The PCHR fieldworker also reported that these bulldozing activities coincide
with the construction of the annexation wall in “al-Ntouf” and
“Ras Krimzan” areas in the east of al-Walaja village. The length of
this new part of the annexation wall is 2,000 meters, with widths ranging
between 30 and 50 meters. This part will be connected to the new part referred
to above.

Owners of the affected lands include Abdul
Rahman Mohammed Salem Abu al-Tin, Issa Jaafar Hajajleh, Ahmed Abdul Rahman
Dras, Ata Mohammed al-Aaraj, Ahmed Saleh Barghouth, Jamal Saleh Barghouth, Umar
Issa Hajajleh, Abdullah Dawood Rabah, Abdul Qader Dawood Rabah, Khalil Ali
Mohammed al-Aaraj, Umar Dawood al-Seifi, Mohammed Hassan al-Atrash, Tareq
Mansour -who represents the Wahadna family by virtue of a power of attorney-,
Fakhri Eid Abu Sadoud and Abdul Fattah Abed Rabbu.

The resumption of the construction works in the
new part of the annexation wall has been based on a decision issued on 23
August 2011 by the Israeli High Court which rejected a petition filed by
residents of al-Walaja village requiring a change of the route of the said part
of the annexation wall. In its reasoning of the rejection of the petition, the
Israeli High Court stated: “the route of the wall is necessary for the
security of Israel and its citizens.” The Court disregarded the theft of
Palestinians’ lands and the resulting negative impact on the residents of
al-Walaja village and their livelihoods.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR,
since 2009 the length of the parts of the annexation wall which have been
constructed in the east, west and northeast of al-Walaja village reached 4,500
meters, with widths ranging between 20 and 50 meters. As a result, 2,100 trees, including 1,000
olive, grape and almond trees, have been uprooted and 500 dunums of agricultural
lands and forests and a part of a nature reserve have been destroyed. Besides, approximately 2,000 dunums in
al-Walaja village were isolated behind the wall.

The wall’s design plan published by the Israeli
Ministry of Defense on its website on 30 April 2007 shows that the construction
of the annexation wall would isolate al-Walaja village by surrounding it from
the northern, eastern and western sides by the wall. From the south, the village will be enclosed
by a security street controlled by IOF and extending along bypass road no. 436,
which is used by the residents of al-Walaja village to reach services in
Bethlehem. Once it is completed, the
wall will isolate over 50% of the total area of the village.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and
based on the Israeli military order no. (T/25/06) which was issued in 2006, IOF
have been erecting a new crossing in the annexation wall in the east of al-Walaja
village. This crossing is named “Har Gilo”. Eventually, the wall will completely isolate
the village from all of the other Palestinian villages and towns, service
providing institutions, and vital areas in the Bethlehem governorate.

PCHR condemns the said bulldozing activities
carried out by IOF in al-Walaja village for the construction of a new part of
the annexation wall, and:

1- Stresses
that the construction of the annexation wall is a form of settlement, which is
considered a war crime under the international law;

2- Notes that
Israel’s non-compliance with the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of
Justice constitutes the highest level of disregard for international law;

3- Notes that
the fact that the international community does not take any serious or
immediate action to put an end to all settlement activities in the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt) reflects the failure of international institutions,
which allows Israel to continue committing its crimes against the Palestinian
civilians and their property without holding perpetrators accountable .