DEMOLITION OF HOUSES AND LAND CONFISCATION

"Here the right to housing is not a problem of how to build, but how to prevent houses being demolished"

Currea-Lugo Victor

1948, Israel began demolishing the houses of Palestinian refugees to prevent their return. More than 125,000 houses were destroyed in a process called "cleaning up the national views" according to Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, ICAHD.

Since 1967 more than 24,000 homes have been destroyed by Israeli Occupation Forces.

Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "everyone has the right to own property, individually and collectively. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his/her property "

According to the report "broken homes" made in 2009 by Save the Children, in collaboration with the Palestinian Counseling Center and the Welfare Association:

- More than half (52%) of homes were destroyed in a demolition where they swept collective series of homes or neighborhoods.
- More than half (61%) of families took at least two years to find a place to live.
- In many cases, the family not only lost their homes and belongings, is also responsible for the costs of demolition of houses.

Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: "Collective punishments are prohibited [...] It is prohibited retaliation against protected persons and their property." Similarly, Article 53 provides: "It is prohibited to destroy the occupying Power movable or immovable property [...] except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations."

The Israeli army demolish Palestinian homes often citing administrative reasons or grounds that have been built without permission or retaliation. The demolition of houses is also an illegal act of forced eviction, which violates Article 11 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.



MURDERS AND USE OF Palestinian People as human shields

Israel considers the State interests before the rights of individuals, which it  considers security threats. Israel has committed and is committing crimes of state under the pretext of ensuring national security. In the name of security, Israel commits selective assassinations or what is called under international law are called extrajudicial executions of civilians.

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights considers that "everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person" That right is referred to in Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Between 2000 and 2004 the Israeli army murderered nearly 2,500 Palestinians and Palestinians, mostly unarmed, among them, 450 were minors.

Human Shields

Another common practice in Israel is the use of civilians as human shields. This practice has become the tool of choice for Israel to eliminate its adversaries and political opponents. Article 28 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 51.7 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions prohibit the use of "human shields" to prevent attacks against military objectives.

All these actions and attacks against civilians carried out by the Israeli army constituted crimes against humanity such as provided for in Articles 7.1 and 7.2 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

ARBITRARY ARREST AND TORTURE

Any Palestinian can be arrested until eight days without being informed of the reason for his arrest and without being sitting before a judge. The "administrative detention", mainly leaders and Palestinian political leaders and community allows the detention period be extended from 6 months to 6 years

Addameer,
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Since the beginning of Israeli occupation, over 700,000 Palestinians have been arrested.

Administrative detention, without charges or trial, violating the International Law and Human Rights Treaties, and that violate not only the protection of the civilian population as enshrined in humanitarian law, but that prevents the exercise of the right to defense, referred to in Article 72 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The number of Palestinians womens prisoners amounts to more than 10,500 persons.

Torture

The use of methods of torture during interrogation is widespread among the military and Israeli security. In 1996 the Supreme Court of Israel legitimized coercive interrogations and held that only the spouse with pain could be considered an act of torture.

85% of detainees were subjected to torture and ill-treatment. Women are also subjected to threats and abused during arrest, as a pressure for their families.


The systematic practice of torture by Israeli military forces violates the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading 1984. It also violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Third Vienna Convention, the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Fourth Geneva Convention, among others.

Even Section 277 of the Israeli Penal Law 1977 prohibits torture and includes criminal penalties for its practice.