Israel orders demolition of 8 villages for army training ground

[azurnoir]

Israel plans to demolish eight villages in the West Bank to use the land for Israeli army training grounds, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Monday.

Israel's High Court of Justice heard Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's demolition plans on Sunday. Residents of the south Hebron villages will be allowed to access their land for farming on weekends and Jewish holidays, and during two one-month periods each year, when the Israeli army is not training in the area, Haaretz reported.

Israel regards the 1,500 residents of Khirbet al-Majaz, Khirbet al-Tabban, Sfai, Khirbet al-Fakheit, Halaweh, Mirkez, Jinba, and Kharoubeh as squatters, although the villages predate the establishment of the state of Israel by over 100 years, the report said.

Previous evacuation orders issued against the villages were frozen by Israel's High Court of Justice.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=506983

[think]

1. Nothing like demolishing villages for war games

[Scurrilous]

2. Not very most-moral of them.

[azurnoir]

3. yep shows why Israel has decided that even outposts in area C previously deemed illegal

and now legal and with that could imply they are part of Israel, but of course Israel will not yet formally annex area C

[Scurrilous]

4. Longer article:

Israel Seeks Army Use of West Bank Area

<snip>

"The Israeli government has asked its Supreme Court to allow the demolition of eight Palestinian hamlets in the South Hebron Hills so the area can be used for military training.

The request, filed Sunday by Israel’s Defense Ministry, is part of a struggle lasting decades between Israel and the tiny hamlets of cave-dwelling shepherds, who were returned to their homes by court order after an earlier forced evacuation by the state.

Advocates for the Palestinians contend that it is part of a broader government effort to reduce the number of Palestinians living in parts of the West Bank known as Area C, which is under Israeli control, and prevent them from building new homes or businesses there.

“It was never a declared Israeli policy to take over Area C, it was a policy that was taking hold on the ground,” said Shlomo Lecker, a lawyer who, along with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, represents about 200 families in the area. “It’s in many ways retreating from any agreements with the Palestinians, with the U.S., any kind of arrangement of two states. Where will be the two states if Israel will take over?”

more

[azurnoir]

5. Thanks