J A Y Y O U S: URGENT RELEASE: SETTLERS RETURN WITH BULLDOZER

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At 10.30 a.m. sunday a private company, Sunduk Madrasat Israel company, situated in the settlement of Zufin, returned to Jayyous land with heavy machinery despite the fact that it is still heavily disputed as to ownership. One of them told me over the phone he had a fax letter from DCO Kedumim allowing him to work the land. The army was present during the work - four soldiers, but left in the middle, leaving five private security guards only.

DCO Kedumim (Officer Gilad) said the Palestinians “knew from last week what the situation is, the settlers own the land, have title deeds and can work on it.” The latter statement is in dispute as to the Palestinian, Tawfiq Salim, who says there is a mistake in the parcel numbers which the company has listed and this is still being explored by lawyers needing to check maps on file at Beit El Military Court, together with the recent land survey report. He never sold his land which is number 32. Nor is he the neighbour of the land sold (786 or 788), which is 3 kms away. According to the Israeli court decision, “all the lands are part of 786 and 788” The Israeli authorities have recently changed all the numbers of the land parcels, so without a map the Palestinians could not understand what land was being discussed for bulldozing.

There was supposed to be a 9.00 a.m. meeting at Kedumim DCO today between the Palestinians’ lawyer (Hesham Nasser), the landowners, plus Moshe Glick lawyer for the company and quarry, and Yigal Tzufi of Civil Administration. This morning, Abu Azzam was told the army cancelled it because Yigal Tzufi could not make it and Abu Azzam was waiting for another appointment. The lawyer Hesham Nasser is intending to go on Tuesday to Beit El, with DCO liaison, to try to review the maps on file there, to determine if there has not been some mistake following a 1996 Court decision which allowed both Tawfiq and Abu Azzam to keep their land, while the State designated 1,362 dunums of Jayyous land as “state land”. The Zufin settlement was established in 1992 and the quarry started work in 1993 on that land, years before the Court ruled on its legal status. According to Captain Mansour of DCO, Tawfiq’s land was sold and registered in 2002, BUT TAWFIQ SAYS HE DID NOT SELL IT.

The landowners could only get through the gate at 12.30 when it opened. 50 more trees (according to a Japanese journalist who filmed and photographed events) had been newly uprooted. Three trucks were seen leaving, probably with trees under tarpaulin.

Abu Azzam heard from his lawyer that Moshe Glick, the settlers’ lawyer, issued orders for the bulldozer to stop work. The bulldozer did not stop. So a farmer knelt in front of it, and another threw rocks at the bulldozer’s glass window, and it stopped. The driver and one security guard were lightly injured in the ensuing scuffle. After the bulldozer had been stopped, they and bulldozer retreated and withdrew. The army arrived back after this and arrested a Palestinian, Mohammed Jamil. In the evening (4.30 p.m.) a Palestinian child (age 11) was also arrested, Nur Abdulrahim Salim.

There was a visit yesterday to Jayyous of the EU Ambassador for the Middle East Peace Process, Marc Otte (the Swedish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and British diplomats have visited in recent days), and there are plans to return in the forthcoming days to update last week’s map, as the situation is worse than originally estimated. There is a real danger much more of the village’s land may be “grabbed” by the state/settlers as it has fallen fallow, due to the inability of the farmers to reach it because of the Fence/Wall, despite original promises that they would have reasonable access.

The village is currently without electricity, so photographs are not yet available online. Doi is a professional journalist but may be open to allowing some of his film footage and stills to be used.

For further details:
Abu Azzam (Sharif Omar) 0547-369771 / 09-2900116
Doi Toshikuni (Japanese journalist): 0547-475466
Angela: 0547-366393 / 02-6715198