Civil Administration threatens to demolish most of al-‘Aqabah village

Civil Administration threatens to demolish most of al-‘Aqabah village

The Civil Administration has issued orders to demolish most of the houses in the village of al-‘Aqabah, which lies in the northern Jordan Valley, and many houses in other villages in the area. Israel’s planning policy in the West Bank, which is based on outline plans from British Mandate times, centers on preventing Palestinian construction and promoting expansion of settlements.

Al-’Aqabah village lies in the northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas. Israel’s policy regarding the village illustrates its planning policy in Area C, which constitutes some 60 percent of the West Bank and is under sole Israeli civil and military control. The Civil Administration issued demolition orders for 35 of the 48 structures in the village. Simultaneously, it proposed to village leaders a plan for building in a limited amount of space in the center of the village. The plan fails to meet the villagers’ housing and employment needs and completely ignores the village’s farmland.

This isolated village was founded about 100 years ago by families of shepherds from Tubas, Tayasir, and Hebron. In 1967, it had some 600 residents. Now it is home to 305 persons, most of whom live in simple stone or tin structures.


http://www.btselem.org/English/Planning_and_Building/20080805_al_Aqabeh_demolition_orders.asp