Firing Zone 918, an area in Masafer Yatta which is home to twelve Palestinian villages is at imminent risk of demolition and ethnic cleansing by Israel and the Israeli Army. The Israeli Supreme Planning Council of Judea and Samaria District has just ruled that all buildings currently awaiting permits can be demolished. Because Israel itself is responsible for granting building permits, this includes many if not most of the structures in these villages. Only international pressure can stop international crimes. 

Firing Area 918 is one of the criminal and fraudulent tricks initiated by the State of Israel to take over Palestinian-owned territories and transfer them to Jewish hands, as Arik Sharon, who initiated the move in 1980, explicitly admitted: “All the Firing Areas are intended for one purpose, to enable Jewish settlement there.” Although the area was hardly ever used for training, the IDF lied in dozens of court hearings that the area was essential for military purposes. At the same time, the state encourages the establishment of a large number of illegal outposts throughout the region, which take over Palestinian lands and prove in practice that the claim of the need for a “firing zone” is a complete fiction.

For years, the courts avoided ruling on the dubious demand to dispossess hundreds of families from their homes, until in May 2022, the High Court of Justice, headed by settler Judge Mintz, decided, in a distorted and inexact ruling, to approve the evacuation of Palestinian residents from an area where many generations had lived. Since then, the army and settlers have been increasing the abuse of residents, both through pogroms and the prevention of grazing, and through massive demolitions by the Civil Administration. Over the years, many residents and communities have turned to the courts to regularize their status while presenting proof of ownership of the land. The courts have repeatedly rejected the decision, and now we understand why.

Yesterday, based on a confidential military announcement dated June 17, an order was suddenly given to the planning committees to postpone all planning and legal proceedings in the area, based on a sweeping claim of a “security need” for military training. There is no real foundation for this claim, And it was not backed up by documents or a transparent process. The meaning of the order is to grant a blanket permit for the immediate demolition of homes, schools and infrastructure within a few days or weeks. Years of reasoned legal proceedings were wiped out in a flash.

We are demanding that the Government of Canada and Global Affairs Canada oppose this decision and call on Israel to stop ethnically cleansing Masafer Yatta. Please send a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Global Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Graham Dattels, the Canadian Representative for Palestine.