Israël: Jeff Halper arrêté

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Jeff Halper a été arrêté alors qu'il s'opposait à des buldozers israélien qui voulaient démolir une maison palestinienne.


Prof. Jeff Halper, founder and co-ordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions has just been arrested for trying to prevent the demolition of the Hamdan family's home in Anata, which is now being demolished. The bulldozers are "only upholding the law", in contradiction to international law, the Geneva Convention, human rights of those under Occupation, etcetera etcetera.

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ICAHD's 2007 Annual Report on House Demolitions

ps: traduction en français à venir
ICAHD's 2007 Annual Report on House Demolitions
Dr. Meir Margalit
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

In 2007 there was a small decrease in the number of home demolitions: altogether there were 78 demolitions, of which the Municipality was responsible for 69 and the Ministry of the Interior was responsible for 9. ICAHD notes that the decrease may be explained by the higher number of diplomatic visits to Jerusalem during 2007 (especially between June and December); no house demolitions were carried out during such visits, because security personnel who would normally attend the demolitions were needed to increase security in the capital.

House Demolitions in East Jerusalem
Year
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total

House Demolitions
18 41 43 99 152 94 83 78 608


There were 1,081 files opened on illegal construction, meaning that the ratio of illegal buildings to the number of house demolitions stood at approximately 8%. 135 construction permits were issued in East Jerusalem, (including new structures and additions to existing structures,) but only 12 received final residency permits. The main reason for this disparity is that when people receive building permits they often do not realize that construction will remain under strict supervision by the Israeli municipal authorities. Palestinians do not always adhere to their official plan, and when such infractions are recorded by municipal officials, the final permit for residence is denied. Inspectors made 3,068 visits to the construction sites, and the number of building infractions reported was 142.

House Demolitions in the West Bank
Year
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Total

House Demolitions
41
186
176
306
225
157
264
208
1,663



In 2007, 208 house demolitions took place in the West Bank. This number also represents a decrease from the previous year, during which 264 houses were demolished.
It should be noted that the above are official numbers released by Civil Administration, which is responsible for all house demolitions in the West Bank. In 2004, the CA granted ICAHD greater access to its files on West Bank house demolitions. ICAHD found that in a significant number of cases, more than one structure would be destroyed on a single demolition order. Structures demolished during 2004 totaled¬¬¬ 357, (including pens for livestock, water cisterns, shacks and tents, commercial structures, foundations, and inhabited caves, ) meaning that the actual number of structures demolished was 60% higher than official numbers stated.
If this trend occurred each year between 2000 and 2007, the total number of structures demolished during that time period would be 2,660.

House Demolitions in Israel
2006
823

2007
759


The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for construction permits and house demolitions within the armistice lines of 1948 (Green Line). In 2007, 759 house demolitions took place within Israel proper – again representing a slight decrease from the previous year during which 823 houses were demolished. The majority of demolitions within the Green Line took place in Bedouin areas of the Negev. Similarly, of the 4,122 demolition orders issued in Israel in 2007, the vast majority targeted Bedouin-owned structures.
Demolition orders issued by local municipalities have 30 days to be carried out before they are deferred to the federal courts. On February 24, 2008 Israel's Minister of the Interior, Meir Shitrit, stated his intention to extend this time period to 60 days, which would give municipalities greater leeway to execute house demolitions without the expenses and delays which tend to arise in the judicial system, and would also preclude compromises that may be reached in court. There are 84,000 illegal structures within the Green Line, (one third of which are Jewish-owned), up from a reported 60,000 in 2006.
Shitrit deplored the state of housing in Israel as a "wild west", and emphasized the need for more stringent policies regarding illegal construction.

Total Number of Demolitions in 2007
East Jerusalem
78

West Bank
208

Israel
759

Total
1,045