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ACAP revealed that within one month the northern district Committee for Planning and Building has submitted 4 forest establishment plans near different Arab localities in the North. These plans affect the following localities: Shafaamer, Tamra, Arrabeh, Kokab Abu El Heja, Kfar Manda, Kaboul, Eilaboun and Der Hanna.
ACAP has previously alerted the local authorities of Arrabeh, Eilaboun, Der Hanna and Kokab Abu El Heja about the submission of the district Committee of Organization of plan number 15320/C ( Har Ahim- Azmon Forest) which determines what land would be used in this plan: forest area and agricultural land area and other green areas. ACAP has also referred to the possibility of objecting to this plan up until the end of September.
In addition, ACAP has issued letters to the local authorities of Kokab Abu El Heja and Kfar Manda informing them about the district Committee’s submission of the plan ‘Natural Reservation Har Shkhenya and Shkhenya’s Cave” ( map number 15056/C). The map indicates allocating land for a natural reservation in accordance with the law of national parks and natural reservations and the Law of Planning and Building-1965. Submission of objections and reservations about the plans is possible for any concerned citizen until the end of this month.
Similarly, the district committee has also submitted the forest plan of “Shkhenya” that details what forest and green areas would be included in the plan; areas nearby Tamra, Kaboul, Kfar Manda, and Ebillen ( plan number 15453/C). The plan also states that a special committee would be set up comprising of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, and the Engineer's Union of Natural Areas and Israel Land Administration, in addition to a representative of the engineers of the local committees in the area, in order to determine the agricultural area for this plan. Furthermore, the plan of Shafaamer Forest (number 16130/C) was submitted; a plan that borders Shafaamer, Tamra and Kokab Abu El Heja localities. It is worth noting that the objection period extends to 7.11.2010.
Across all these plan submissions, ACAP sees a “wave” of forest establishment plans in the north, a fact that entails the Arab local authorities as well as the citizens to beware, follow up all the developments and take action by submitting objections to these plans within the permitted period in order to avoid indirect confiscation of what is left of Arab land; keeping in mind that the total size of the targeted land approximates 33,000 dunams.
To help face this wave, ACAP has expressed its readiness to offer various types of professional consultation to the public committees and local authorities to counteract this attack on Arab land. |