Photo credit: Eyal Warshavsky
There are so many ways that Palestinian lives and rights are challenged in Area C, the 60% of the West Bank where nearly all settlements sit and some 100,000 Palestinians live. Over the past month, settler violence in these communities has continued to go nearly unchecked. But NIF-supported organizations like NIFC project partner Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights are working to stop violence and harassment in new and creative ways. The latest victory helps Palestinians keep their property — specifically their flocks of sheep and goats, which they rely on for their livelihoods.
Yesh Din and other Jordan Valley activists recently submitted a petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice, demanding an end to the practice of herd confiscation in Area C of the West Bank.
The petition focused on the practice of confiscating Palestinian livestock – not by individual settlers – but by local government authorities that govern West Bank settlements. These authorities have been confiscating allegedly stray livestock and demand tens of thousands of shekels for their return. The petition directly accuses the Jordan Valley Regional Council of “posing as a governing agent for those who are not its residents [and] do not vote in, or cannot be elected to, its institutions.” It argues that applying Israeli municipal council bylaws to Palestinians, who are not citizens of Israel, violates international law and would constitute a form of annexation.
Both the Israel Defense Forces and the State Attorney’s Office agreed in court with Yesh Din that these regional councils do not have the authority to engage in such confiscations.
The High Court issued an interim order in favour of Yesh Din, and prohibited the regional council from seizing any Palestinian livestock. It also demanded that the IDF explain why it has failed to prevent these seizures.
This court decision is a victory for protecting Palestinian property rights in the West Bank and a success for human rights groups working to block attacks by settler institutions on Palestinian residents.
