Protecting Our Land
Protecting Our Land, Protecting Our Home!
On the evening of Passover 1983, the first residents of the new town of Efrat arrived at their homes.
The Te'ena and Rimon neighborhoods, which were the first to develop into permanent housing, were intended to create a continuous strech of Jewish settlement between Kiryat Arba all the way to Jerusalem.
More than 40 years later, to our delight, the vision has been realized: Efrat has expanded northward, and thousands of residents now live here.
Although there are topographical and political borders around Efrat that affect the allocation of land, the struggle to protect these lands is far from over.
To the east of Efrat lie the villages of Wadi Nis and Abdallah Ibrahim, where the separation barrier prevents their development towards Efrat. Most of these villages are located in Area B—meaning they are under the civilian administration of the Palestinian Authority and Israeli security control. As a result, construction in the outer ring of these villages is under the supervision and enforcement of the Israeli Civil Administration.
To the west are agricultural lands "trapped" between the town and Route 60. In this area, the main threats are ecological and archaeological damage through the dumping of waste, and attempts to claim ownership of the land.
The primary vulnerabilities today are to the north—along the slopes of the Dagan and Tamar neighborhoods and the northern entrance to Efrat. There, massive construction poses a danger to the safety and security of residents.
The “Eitam” — the large land reserve where the next neighborhood of Efrat is planned, which will comprise of thousands of housing units—is currently experiencing repeated, almost daily attempts by Palestinian elements and local villagers to seize state land and damage infrastructure, including the uprooting and theft of electrical poles and the eruv poles.
Over the years, Efrat's Security Division has documented the illegal construction of dozens of structures in these areas and facilitated their demolition. After the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, which saw an increase in security measures and the expansion of security roads, a security officer was appointed to identify and document attempts to seize land from the initial stages and maintain continuous contact with the Israeli Civil Administration until demolition of the structures are carried out.
Status of the Land in Judea and Samaria
The State of Israel has not yet applied the law to register Israeli lands in Judea and Samaria, leading to a complex legal state of affairs that, depending on the type of land, can involve Ottoman, British Mandatory, and Israeli laws. The types of land are:
- Mulk Land: Private land intended for construction.
- Miri Land: State-owned land designated for agricultural use.
- Mawat Land: "Dead," fallow land, which is considered state property.
Among the various legal frameworks, three types of land ownership are relevant to our region:
- State Land:
Land designated by Israel as public land, not owned by anyone, and managed by the Israeli Civil Administration. As of 2012, approximately 1,440 km² in Judea and Samaria—about 41% of Area C—was declared state land. - Surveyed Lands:
Lands whose legal status is in the process of land regularization. These lands have no recognized private ownership and are not included in the state lands registered during the Ottoman and British periods.
In these areas, a survey is conducted to regularize the lands status as state land. This process includes reviewing aerial photographs from different periods to ensure that the land was neither cultivated nor settled at any specific time. - Private Lands:
Lands registered under private ownership in the land registry.
Documentation and Enforcement
It is the Israeli Civil Administration’s inspection unit that bears the responsibility and authority for preventing illegal construction across Judea and Samaria and enforcing compliance. Since the legal situation is ill-defined and owing to insufficient funding and the lack of a firm policy towards Palestinian land grabs, we are witnessing an expansion of illegal planting and construction across Judea and Samaria.
The Israeli Civil Administration has several means of stopping illegal construction, including confiscating equipment, imposing fines, demolishing structures, and prosecuting those involved in the construction.
Join the Struggle to Protect Our Land!
It is crucial to identify any land changes as early as possible. In addition to the work of Efrat's Security Department and the land inspector, we ask the public to join us by increasing your vigilance and reporting any changes or activities you notice.
There are several ways to report illegal planting or construction:
- Through the Efrat Security Center
- Via Telegram
- Using the form on the municipality’s website
Choose the method most convenient for you. When reporting, please include images and details regarding the exact location.
Once the report is received, the land inspector will examine the findings and check the land's status, and if warranted, will follow up with the Israeli Civil Administration’s inspection unit. You will receive updates on the status of your report throughout the process.