Facing Expulsion: For second time this winter, Civil Admin.demolished structures in Khirbet ‘Ein Kar

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For the second time this winter, the Civil Administration has demolished all the structures in Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah, leaving the residents exposed to the elements


The access road to the community, blocked by the Civil Administration. Photo: 'Aref Daraghmeh, B'Tselem

This morning, 4 March 2015, the Civil Administration demolished all the structures in the community of Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah in the northern Jordan Valley, for the second time since the beginning of the year. Civil Administration bulldozers razed the dirt road leading to the community, which is now no longer accessible by car.

Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah is a small shepherding community living in the northern Jordan Valley, about five kilometers southwest of the village of al-Jiftlik. The land on which the community is situated belongs to residents of the village of Aqrabah, located approximately 20 kilometers to the east. The community consists of three families, originally from Aqrabah, who have lived on this site for over 25 years. The total number of residents is currently 31, including 16 minors. The residents make a living from agriculture and shepherding and rely on water from a nearby spring. Their children attend school in al-Jiftlik. In 1972 the military declared the area where Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah is situated a closed military zone (no. 904) on the grounds that it was required as a firing zone. According to the residents, no military exercises were held in the area until 2012. Since then, they report, the situation has changed and the army maintains a noticeable presence in the vicinity of the village.

Between January 2014 and January 2015, the Civil Administration demolished all the structures in the village three times, and on an additional occasion some of the structures were demolished. The last of these demolition operations took place on January 22, 2015, when the Civil Administration demolished all the structures in the village, including five tents used by the families for residential purposes, which were vandalized. Since then the residents have worked to rebuild the residential tents and the structure used for their livestock.


Residents of Khirbet ‘Ein Karzaliyah after the demolition. Photo: 'Aref Daraghmeh, B'Tselem

This morning, 4 March 2015, as noted, military and Civil Administration personnel again came to the village, along with a bulldozer. They demolished eight residential tents, six pens, and five tents where livestock was kept. They military and the Civil Administration also razed and blocked the dirt road leading to the village, which is approximately one kilometer long. Before leaving the village, the military and Civil Administration representatives threatened to return and demolish any structure that is rebuilt.



in full: http://www.btselem.org/planning_and_buliding/20150304_ein_karzaliyah_dmolished_again