<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[ei: Photostory: Volvo equipment used in house demolitions (part&nbsp;2)]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><span class="text14">Adri Nieuwhof, <em>The Electronic Intifada,</em> 29 December 2010</span></p>
<p><span class="content">(<strong><a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9224.shtml">part 1</a></strong>)</span></p>
<p>Israeli forces are using Volvo construction equipment and trucks in the  destruction of Palestinian property. The Electronic Intifada has  previously documented the use of Volvo equipment by the Israeli  government in its destruction of Palestinian property (&#8220;<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article9224.shtml">Photostory: Volvo equipment used in house demolitions</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article7074.shtml">Volvo: Symbol of safety or human rights abuses?</a>&#8220;).</p>
<p><strong>Al-Walaja</strong></p>
<p>Volvo construction equipment and trucks were seen in action on the  construction site of Israel&#8217;s wall near al-Walaja village in the  occupied West Bank. The wall will surround al-Walaja from all sides,  completely isolating the villagers from their land, near East Jerusalem  and on land of the original part of the village which was occupied and  destroyed by Zionist forces in 1948, and which is now annexed to parts  of Gilo settlement. The villagers of al-Walaja have resisted the wall&#8217;s  construction and have tried to change its path by bringing the case to  an Israeli court. On 8 November, Israel&#8217;s high court suspended the  construction of the wall near al-Walaja for 45 days, but the court also  ruled that bulldozers can continue to excavate along the wall&#8217;s path.</p>
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<td><span class="text11">Volvo bulldozers being used to build Israel&#8217;s wall in al-Walaja village, occupied West Bank, June 2010. (Anne Paq/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<p><span class="text14"><span class="content"><br />
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<td><span class="text11">Israel&#8217;s wall being built in al-Walaja village, December 2010. (Anne Paq/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<p><span class="text14"><span class="content"> </span></span></p>
<p><strong>Jordan Valley</strong></p>
<p>The International Court of Justice (ICJ) reaffirmed the illegality of  the construction of the wall and Jewish settlements in the occupied  Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, in its 2004 ruling.  According to the ICJ, construction activities should stop immediately  and the wall and settlements should be dismantled.  In recent weeks, the  Palestinian Bedouin community of Abu Alajaj in Jiftlik, occupied Jordan  Valley, was raided by approximately 200 Israeli soldiers. There are  plans to expand on the illegal Israeli settlement of Massua and  confiscate further land from the Palestinian shepherds of Abu Alajaj. In  the early hours of 24 November, one house and three animal shelters  were demolished by Israeli forces using a Volvo bulldozer. Settlers  cheered the action by the Israeli army. Following the Israeli  demolition, villagers found several baby goats lying dead on the ground  and many more injured. Three Palestinian men were arrested during the  raid.</p>
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<td><span class="text11">Israel using Volvo equipment to demolish homes in Jiftlik village, occupied Jordan Valley. (<a href="http://www.jordanvalleysolidarity.org/">Jordan Valley Solidarity</a>)</span></td>
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<p><span class="text14"><span class="content"><br />
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<td><span class="text11">Residents from the Khirbet Yarza village  in the Jordan Valley stand beside their home after it was demolished by  Israeli forces, November 2010. (Anne Paq/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<p><span class="text14"><span class="content"> </span></span></p>
<p><strong>Al-Araqib</strong></p>
<p>The Palestinian Bedouins living in al-Araqib in the Naqab (Negev) desert  in the south of Israel also witnessed the destructive force of Volvo  equipment when their village was destroyed for the third time by Israeli  forces on 10 August. The demolition of 45 houses left approximately 300  persons homeless, including 200 children. In an earlier raid the  Israeli police had uprooted 850 of the village&#8217;s olive trees. The land  of al-Araqib is being confiscated for a &#8220;peace forest&#8221; funded by the  Jewish National Fund, an international Zionist organization that assists  the State of Israel with appropriating Palestinian land. About half of  the 90,000 Bedouin holding Israeli citizenship live in unrecognized  villages without access to basic amenities. Israeli professor Neve  Gordon characterized the razing of Bedouin villages by the Israeli  police as &#8220;ethnic cleansing&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/28/ethnic-cleansing-israeli-negev">Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negev</a>,&#8221; <em>Guardian</em>, 28 July 2010).</p>
<p>Video by <a href="http://maxblumenthal.com/">Max Blumenthal</a> and <a href="http://josephdana.com/">Joseph Dana</a> showing Israel&#8217;s third demolition of homes in al-Araqib using Volvo equipment, August 2010.</p>
<span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='640' height='360' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rud19ytcPS8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></span>
<p><strong>Lod</strong></p>
<p>On 13 December, Volvo equipment was used in Lod near Tel Aviv by the  Israeli authorities in the demolition of homes owned by Palestinian  citizens of Israel. The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions  expects the Israeli action to continue &#8220;in what is one of the biggest  demolition operations inside the 1948 borders this year.&#8221; The Israeli  action left seven families homeless and riot police were deployed at the  site of the demolition to intimidate local residents. ICAHD reports  &#8220;The houses, owned by Palestinian citizens of Israel are located in an  area which is not zoned for building despite the repeated attempts of  the residents to rezone the area in order to permit building. At the  same time, large plans are already approved for Jewish-Israeli building  as soon as the Palestinian houses are gone&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://www.icahd.org/?p=6722">Demolitions in Lod</a>,&#8221; ICAHD, 13 December 2010).</p>
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<td><span class="text11">A Volvo bulldozer demolishes a Palestinian home in Lod, December 2010. (Oren Ziv/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<td><span class="text11">Lod resident Safia Abi Eid reacts to seeing destroyed homes belonging to her and her relatives, December 2010. (Oren Ziv/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<td><span class="text11">Volvo equipment seen on the site where it was used to demolish a number of Palestinian homes in Lod, December 2010. (Oren Ziv/<a href="http://www.activestills.org/">ActiveStills</a>)</span></td>
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<p><span class="text14"><span class="content"> </span></span></p>
<p>In 2007, Volvo informed the Business and Human Rights Resource Center in  London that Volvo Group does not condone the destructive use of Volvo  equipment and would regret the use of its products for destructive  purposes (&#8220;<a href="http://www.reports-and-materials.org/Volvo-response-to-Israel-OT-article-6-Jul-2007.doc">Volvo response to article about concerns on the use of Volvo vehicles in Israel and the Occupied Territories</a>&#8221;  [.doc], Volvo, 6 July 2007). The company claimed to have no control  over the use of their products. However, as a partner in the UN Global  Compact, Volvo should support and respect the protection of  international human rights within their spheres of influence, and make  sure they are not complicit in human rights abuses. The Global Compact,  launched in 2000, is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that  are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices.  Volvo has also adopted principles of Corporate Social Responsibility.  According to its website, Volvo &#8220;operations are part of the everyday  life of numerous people worldwide. This gives the Volvo Group the  opportunity to contribute to positive development in society, both in  social, economic and environmental terms&#8221; (&#8220;<a href="http://www.volvogroup.com/group/global/en-gb/responsibility/committed_csr/Pages/committed_csr.aspx">Committed to Corporate Social Responsibility</a>,&#8221; Volvo).</p>
<p>The Electronic Intifada asked Volvo to comment on how the company&#8217;s  principles relate to the documented use of its equipment in Israel&#8217;s  violations of international law. The External Relations Director of  Volvo Construction Equipment, Bill Law, replied that there are tens of  thousands of Volvo machines in operation across the world at any given  time. He added, &#8220;We are not in a position to monitor how every one of  our machines is used. Indeed both from a logistical point of view and a  legal standpoint the company is not able to dictate exactly how every  machine is used in the many countries in which they are operated,  especially where machines may be used by second, third or even fourth  generation owners. At the same time, within our sphere of influence, we  have a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility. As a  company we are involved in social issues, working together with  everything from global organizations and universities to local  authorities and citizens in order to contribute to a positive  development on all levels.&#8221; However, the use of Volvo construction  equipment and trucks in Israel&#8217;s oppression of the Palestinian people  are contrary to Volvo&#8217;s basic values and commitments. Volvo Group has  known about the destructive use of its equipment by the Israeli  government since 2007 &#8212; if not earlier. But as its spokesperson makes  clear, Volvo is not willing to put a stop to this.</p>
<p><em>Adri Nieuwhof is a consultant and human rights advocate.</em></p>
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