Violation: Establishment a new colonial outpost.
Location: Al Hammar area- south Adh Dhahiriya, Hebron governorate.
Date: April,14th 2025.
Perpetrators: Settlers.
Affected party: The residents of Dura, Ad Dhahiriya and Al Burj villages.
Details:
Monday morning, April, 14th 2025, citizens and farmers in Al Burj village and Adh Dhahiriya town south Hebron were shocked that machinery followed by settlers with protection of the occupation carried out excavation works on a high hill in Al Hammar area, south Al Burj village.
The land belongs to citizens from Adh Dhahiriya town, after four hours of excavation works, settlers use metal mobile homes and structures, putting in the location, according to filed observation, they put two garbage containers, two metal mobile homes and a big water tank, setting up a structure for agricultural purposes.
In the same time, settlers closed off an agricultural road passing adjacent a new colonial outpost and 450 meters away from the outpost, setting a metal gate next to citizens’ home as they closed off a road that passing to lands nearby a new colonia outpost and preventing citizens to go to their lands.
In the next day of controlling the plot by settlers and establishment a new colonial outpost, they began to harassment farmers and citizens in southern area of Al Burj village and Ad Dhahiriya town, as the farmers noted settlers began with provocative tours in citizens’ lands and vandalizing their crops.
Settlers set up the flag of the occupation, hundreds of meters away from the outpost, preventing farmers to accessing their lands and expel some of them who were in their lands.
Until the date of preparing this report, May, 9th 2025, the aim of establishing the outpost is not clear, and didn’t notice the bringing the livestock to the location by settlers, but it’s expected that may be a new pastoral outpost on the citizens’ lands.
It’s worth mentioning that the outpost established on a part of Adh Dhahiriya town, the concerns are when settlers take control over lands located west and south the outpost. The lands followed by towns: (Dura, Al- Burj- Ad Dhahiriya), but most of beneficiaries are farmers and residents of Al Burj village. About 8 dunams were expected to confiscating, as some of these lands are lands to cattle livestock’s farmers and another part is planted with olive trees and winter crops.
According these expectations and concerns, it is expected that the damage from this outpost is high and affect to farmers of Al Burj village and Ad Dhahiriya:
About Al- Burj village:
It is located 25 km to the south west of Dura town. Its total area is 6 km2. it is surrounded by a number of Palestinian towns and villages besides the wall that borders the western side of the village. The village is inhabited by around 3000 people who largely depend on agriculture in their living. The village affairs are administered by a village council. Within its boundaries, there exist two schools, one for males and the other for females, 3 mosques, a kindergarten, a sports club, and a maternity clinic.
Like all the other localities around Dura, the village suffers from extreme water shortage. Before the year 2000, the village used to depend on a water network for its water supply. However, the Israelis cut the water supply in 2000. The villagers were forced to find an alternative which was the nearby water springs. However, the water shortage became severe when an Israeli colonist took over the main water spring which the locals used to largely depend on.
مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC IV - GFFO
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.
إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين