CPTnet
28 June 2007
SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli military denies surveyors access to Susiya land

by Diane Janzen

On 25 June, the Israeli military declared Susiya a closed military zone and
ordered everyone to leave the area. The Palestinian villagers of Susiya had
hired surveyors to measure the land that day for a map they could submit to
the Israeli Civil Administration (or District Coordination Office - DCO).
The map would have shown where villagers are currently living in tents and
where they would like to build permanent housing. The Israeli high court
allowed the villagers thirty days from a 6 June 2007 court date to submit a
map. When the villagers appealed in court not have their village evacuated
and demolished again the court turned the case over to the DCO to make the
final decision. The villagers have attempted before to submit a map, but
the DCO rejected it for technical reasons. (See 21 June 2007 CPTnet
release, "SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Palestinians from Susiya face threat of
eviction for fifth time.")

On 24 June, the villager's Israeli lawyer had confirmed with an officer from
the DCO that the surveyors and landowners would have permission to go on the
land. The DCO officer who gave permission said he would inform the Israeli
police, military and settlers from the Susya settlement outpost of Havot
Ye'ir.

The surveyors were able to work for about an hour (accompanied by the
landowners and CPTers Mary Yoder and Diane Janzen) before soldiers arrived
in military jeeps from the Havot Ye'ir outpost. The soldiers asked the
Palestinians what they were doing, and one of the landowners told the
soldiers that they had permission from the DCO office to be in the area and
that the DCO officer was to have informed the military.

The landowner called the DCO officer and handed his phone to one of the
soldiers. The landowner overheard the DCO officer telling the soldier the
Palestinians did have permission to be on the land. The soldier told the
DCO officer no one had informed anyone in the area (soldiers, police or
settlers.) The soldiers then collected the IDs of all the Palestinians and
said the area was going to be a closed military zone.

After waiting half an hour, soldiers arrived with a closed military zone
order. The order stated the area was closed every day from 7:00 a.m. to
10:00 p.m. until further notice. Shortly afterwards, the DCO officer
arrived and spoke with the landowners, and then everyone left the area.

At the end of the day on the 25th, the DCO officer told one of the
landowners within a day or two he might be able to negotiate with the
military to give the surveyors access to the area. However, delaying this
important documentation further impairs the ability of the Palestinian
villagers to defend their right to live on their land.