Deportation of Arab Al-Maleihat

July 6, 2025

The deportation of 30 families from Arab Al-Maleihat in the Al-Mudarrajat area constitutes a serious crime within the forced displacement policies pursued by the Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian Bedouin communities in the West Bank, especially in areas classified as "C" under the Oslo Agreement, which fall under complete Israeli control.

International Legal Dimension of Deportation

1. Crime of Forced Displacement

Forced displacement of protected populations in occupied territories is considered a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as a grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, especially Article 49 which states:

"Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited."

2. Violation of the Right to Housing

Forced deportation represents a violation of the right to adequate housing stipulated in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Article 11), and constitutes a clear violation of basic human rights.

3. Policies of Creeping Ethnic Cleansing

These measures are viewed within a systematic Israeli policy aimed at emptying Area "C" of Palestinian presence in favor of settlement expansion. This pattern of policies is considered a form of creeping ethnic cleansing, especially when residents are forced to leave under the pressure of demolition, prevention of water access, or security restrictions.

About Arab Al-Maleihat

Arab Al-Maleihat is one of the Bedouin communities living in the Jericho desert and the West Bank, and they often live on agriculture and grazing. Al-Mudarrajat is a pastoral and agricultural area that is a target for settlement and annexation under Israeli plans aimed at "concentrating the Bedouins" in limited and isolated areas, as part of the "spatial concentration" project known as the "Taba Plan."

Required Palestinian Governmental Response

• Document the violation: Prepare a documented legal file with photos, testimonies and threat statements, and submit it to:

• The International Criminal Court
• The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Housing and Displacement
• The Human Rights Council

• Popular resistance: Support presence on the ground through popular, media and steadfastness solidarity on the land

• Diplomatic action: The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs should activate international tools to hold Israel accountable before the Security Council and the General Assembly

Conclusion

This deportation is not just a "security step" as they claim, but part of a larger project that seeks to dismantle Palestinian society and destroy its ability to persevere from within.