In the mid 70’s the Israelis started to confiscate lands that belonged to the people of Beit Hanina, including much of my family’s lands,
the very process of stealing the Palestinian is very much entrenched and institutionalized in Israel. First, the Israelis would come in and survey the lands that they have their eyes on. They then would prevent the land owners from building on or utilizing these lands for any purpose, be it agricultural or commercial. During this time, the land is referred to as being “green” and is photographed and surveyed many times during the next three years. After the three year period, the Israeli government labels these very same lands as being “derelict and or abandoned” thus paving the way for them to be confiscated using outdated Ottoman era laws that say if a piece of land is NOT planted, built on, or utilized by its owners, it becomes state property. According to B’Tselem, the Israeli human rights watchdog group, in their published reports and accompanying booklet, whereby they document the methods of how the Israeli government goes about stealing the Palestinian lands, (
http://www.btselem.org/English/Publications/Summaries/Land_Grab_2002.asp#anchor-Taking_Control ) they state the following: Taking Control of the Land
Israel has used a complex legal and bureaucratic mechanism to take control of more than fifty percent of the land in the West Bank.
This land was used mainly to establish settlements and create reserves of land for the future expansion of the settlements.
The principal tool used to take control of land is to declare it "state land.” This process began in 1979, and is based on a manipulative implementation of the Ottoman Lands Law of 1858, which applied in the area at the time of occupation.
Other methods employed by Israel to take control of land include seizure for military needs, declaration of land as "abandoned assets,” and the expropriation of land for public needs. Each of these is based on a different legal foundation. In addition, Israel has assisted private citizens purchasing land on the "free market.”
The process employed in taking control of land breaches the basic principles of due procedure and natural justice.
In many cases, Palestinian residents were unaware that their land was registered in the name of the state, and by the time they discovered this fact, it was too late to appeal. The burden of proof always rests with the Palestinian claiming ownership of the land. Even if he meets this burden, the land may still be registered in the name of the state on the grounds that it was transferred to the settlement "in good faith.” http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2004%20opinions/May/31o/Beit%20Hanina%20Another%20new%20Ghetto%20in%20Palestine%20By%20Mike%20Odetalla.htm
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