No Home without a House on Int'l Day of Families

Nine-year-old Maysoon has just one wish: “I just want a house like other children.”

When you entered the house, the first thing you would notice was the size. It was a small house, with two bedrooms shared by two Bedouin families and a bathroom outdoors, where the family also cooked their meals. But it was a home, and it was loved. All this changed a few months ago for these two families and the ten young children who lived there.

This house in a small West Bank village of Al Hathaleen in South Hebron has been in the family’s possession since 1971. Twenty five-year-old Abdullah lived there with his wife Roqayah and three young children in his family home, which he shared with his 46-year old widowed mother Haleema and seven younger siblings. Abdullah’s youngest child is just one year old. The family generally relies for support on Abdullah’s salary as a shepherd and donations.

On January 28, 2012, the Israeli authorities demolished their home.

The family had built the home in 1971 without a building permit. The families were notified that the demolition was to take place, and Israeli demolition forces arrived a week later. The families and children were given half an hour to vacate the house.

Basim Dudeen, World Vision East and South Hebron Area Development Programme Manager, explained the situation. “As a child-focused organization, World Vision is most concerned with the suffering of these children, and we seek to ensure the well-being of all children, especially those living in these areas of Hebron, which are the most marginalized and poor areas.”

“As a response to what happened, World Vision helped these families by providing shelter and food baskets. Our staff also gave the children toys and will continue to include them in our activities and programmes, such as the upcoming summer camps this year.”

The families and children were given half an hour to vacate the house

In the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, demolitions occur at an alarming rate. The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) estimates that at least 24,813 houses have been demolished in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since 1967.

According to ICAHD, house demolitions come in three forms: punitive, military and administrative. Punitive demolitions are to punish the actions of people associated with the houses, and military demolitions are carried out by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in the course of military operations to vacate a land or achieve a military goal or kill wanted persons.

Houses that are demolished due to a lack of a building permit fall under administrative demolition orders, as in the case of Abdullah’s family. This happens in Area C (areas in the West Bank under complete Israeli civil and military control) and in East Jerusalem. Area C comprises about 60% of the West Bank, and in some cases Palestinian families are unable to obtain permits to build on their own land. However, before land was divided into different area zones (with Area A denoting land under full Palestinian civil and military control and Area B under Palestinian civil control and Israeli military control), administrative demolitions were still being carried out. In most cases noted, Palestinian families find it almost impossible to obtain building permits.

“The view you can now see, it says everything,” Abdullah reminisces. “All the organizations came and took photos but no one can help. But we will rebuild, even if they demolish it every day because we have nowhere else to live.”

Families are also required to pay a fine, generally to cover costs of the demolition and salaries of the demolition crew, and failure to do so can result in imprisonment. Many families in East Jerusalem demolish their own homes, as the fine they are forced to pay for demolition is higher than the cost of the demolition itself.

In Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, destruction of property “is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.” According to ICAHD, administrative demolitions do not include the pretense of military action and are as such clear violations of international law.

“The Palestinian population in the OPT [occupied Palestinian territory], including East Jerusalem, continues to endure violence, displacement, dispossession and deprivation as a result of prolonged Israeli occupation, in violation of their rights under international law,” says Co-Director of ICAHD, Itay Epshtain. “In 2011, a record year of displacement, a total of 622 Palestinian structures were demolished by Israeli authorities, of which 36% (or 222) were family homes; the remainder were livelihood-related (including water storage and agricultural structures), resulting in 1,094 people displaced, almost double the number for 2010. Since the beginning of 2012, 251 structures were demolished, including 75 family homes. As a result, 472 people were displaced and offered neither alternative housing nor compensation.”

In the West Bank in 2011 alone, 448 children were made homeless because their homes were demolished due to lack of building permits

A few months on, Abdullah and his family have rebuilt - and received a new demolition order. His mother Haleema says that she will continue to trust in God. “In God I rely, because He is my best advocate.”

According to B’tselem (The Isreali Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), in the West Bank in 2011 alone, 448 children were made homeless because their homes were demolished due to lack of building permits.

Various local organizations, such as Ta’aysh, have donated some money to Abdullah and his family. Two of Abdullah’s sisters, 9-year-old Maysoon and 6-year-old Jameela, are registered in World Vision programmes which has provided a measure of support for the families.

In East and South Hebron, World Vision works in 24 communities, with almost 6,000 children, towards ensuring that children can be cared for, protected and participating. Six-year-old Jameela says she was very happy when World Vision sent a food basket to her family. With the optimism so characteristic of a child, Jamela is hopeful. “I thank World Vision for the gift and I want you to build our house!”

World Vision is dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision continues to work towards a future where every child has the opportunity to live a full life. World Vision advocates for a just and comprehensive peace between Palestinians and Israelis so that all can live in peace and prosperity.