HEBRON URGENT ACTION: Al-Attrash home destroyed; home demolitions increase
March 7, 1998
HEBRON URGENT ACTION: Al-Attrash home destroyed; home demolitions
increase
The home of Yussef Mohammed al-Attrash of Qalqis was demolished by the
Israeli military March 3. The house just south of Hebron was built in
1992 . According to the family, no reason was given for the
demolition; the family has lived on this land since Turkish times.
Yussef, Zuhur, and ten children lived in the house.
Yussef's wife, Zuhur, heard voices outside her house at 8:00 am. About
30 Israeli soldiers came with a bulldozer. She locked herself in the
house, but they broke the windows to get in. The soldiers then
pointed a gun at the head of her pre-school son and ordered her out of
the house. In pulling her from the house the soldiers ripped her
dress sleeve, exposing her shoulder. Her foot was injured when six
soldiers pushed her into a ditch sixty feet from the house and threw
blankets over her. While some soldiers piled household items on the
ground, other soldiers brought some of her summer nightgowns to her
and told her to put them on. After demolishing the house, the
soldiers also destroyed the water cistern.
During the demolition Zuhur's brother, Anwar, was arrested for
protesting the demolition. Anwar is being held without charge by the
Israeli authorities. A hearing is set for Sunday morning. The
family reports that he has been beaten while in custody.
CPTers have made several visits to the family. At present the family
is living in three tents donated by the Red Cross. Family belongings
are in the open, between the tents.
* * * *
URGENT ACTION: Al-Attrash home destroyed; home demolitions increase
March 7, 1998
The Israeli military has stepped up the destruction of Palestinian
homes. LAW, a human rights organization, reported on March 5 that 21
homes and 50 tents were demolished in the West Bank and Jerusalem in
the last month, leaving over 200 people homeless. Israeli government
policy attempts to limit the amount of land inhabited by Palestinians
in the West Bank, while encouraging the expansion of Israeli
settlements. The Al-Attrash home may have been targeted because in
its proximity to the Hebron city limit it represented the possibility
of future expansion of Hebron.
Letters and e-mail to Israeli, Canadian and US government officials
are urgently needed to remind them that the world is watching, and
that these events are not passing unnoticed. E-mail followed by
letters are most effective (addresses below). We encourage you to do
two things in your communication:
(1) Challenge the ongoing campaign by the Israeli military
authorities to reduce the Palestinian presence in specific areas of
the West Bank and Jerusalem. Specifically protest the practice of
home demolitions.
(2) Inquire about the demolition of the al-Attrash family home. Ask
why the home was demolished. Ask for assurance that they may rebuild
on their land without further harassment. Identify the home with
some of these phrases: "The home of Yussef Mohammed al-Attrash, in
the Hebron district, just south of the Hebron municipal border, at
the village of Qalkis, on the mount of Al-Sendas." In writing to US
and Canadian government officials, add a sentence asking them to do
everything in their power to assist in this matter. Ask them to keep
you informed.
You should be aware that the reason most commonly given for demolition
is "lack of a building permit." (In 70% of the West Bank land owners
must apply to the Israeli military for building permits. These
permits are routinely denied.) If that is the case, send a follow-up
letter asking why the family has not been given a building permit.
(Persistence!)
ADDRESSES: Please contact one or at the most four addresses that are
appropriate for you or your group and develop a persistent response.
US Government Officials:
President, Bill Clinton, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington DC 20500
e-mail: president [at] whitehouse [dot] gov Tel. 202-456-1414
US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, 2201 C St. NW, Washington DC
20520 (State Dept. Tel switchboard 202-647-4000) fax: 202-736 4461;
e-mail: secretary [at] state [dot] gov
US Ambassador to Israel, Edward Walker: fax: 202-736-4461, attn: Trish
Costilancik
Member of Congress: Capital Switchboard 1-800-504-0031 or
1-888-723-5246
WEB: http://congress.org/congdir.html (contains information for direct
FAXES, e-mail and local addresses.
Mail: (Member of Congress) United State House of Representatives,
Washington DC 20510: (Senator) United States Senate, Washington DC
20510
Canadian Government Officials:
House of Commons; Public Information Office; tel: 613-992-4793;
e-mail: infonet [at] parl [dot] gc [dot] ca
The Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien, Prime Minister of Canada; R. 311 S, Centre
Block; House of Commons (no postage necessary); Ottawa