70 Israeli Land Grab and Forced Population Transfer of Palestinians Nature Reserves and National Parks To date, there are 114 areas designated as ‘nature reserves’ and ‘national parks’ in the occupied Palestinian territory.240 The Nature Reserves and National Parks are run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority,241 established under the Israeli Civil Administration and deriving its authority from Military Orders Numbers 363242 and 373,243 respectively. Neither order stipulates any criteria for required land specifications in their designation as reserves or parks. Nature Reserves The designation of land as ‘nature reserves’ is stipulated under Military Orders No. 166244 and subsequent amendment under No. 363. As noted by the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem, during the 1980s, authorities designated “at least 340,000 dunums (340 km2) of land as ‘natural reserves’”.245 Land falling within the boundaries of nature reserves will be “protected” from harm. Military Order 363 stipulates the concept of ‘harm’ in relation to nature reserves as “decimation, destruction, breakage, vandalism, picking, taking, changing the form or natural position, or artificial disturbance of the natural developmental course.” This has the effect of forbidding construction and development within the boundaries of nature reserves, except for erecting buildings that serve the reserve itself. This Order further allocates power to the Regional Commander of the Israeli Military246 240 See: www.inature.info 241 The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) was established as two separate entities (which were merged in 1998), by a law passed by the Knesset in 1963, to meet the goals of the National Parks, Nature Reserves and Commemoration Sites Law and the Law for the Protection of Wild Animals”, at: http://www.parks.org.il/parks/Pages/WhoWeAre.aspx 242 Order Concerning the Protection of Nature (Judea and Samaria) 1969, n.d.; available from http://www. antiquities.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=42&autotitle=true&subj_id=228&id=453&module_ id=6#as; accessed 24 April 2013. 243 Order Concerning Parks (Judea and Samaria) 1970, n.d.; available from http://www.antiquities.org.il/ article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=42&autotitle=true&subj_id=228&id=453&module_id=6#as; accessed 24 April 2013. 244 Order Concerning the Protection of Nature Reserves (the West Bank Area) 1967, n.d.; available from:http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=42&autotitle=true&subj_ id=228&id=453&module_id=6#as; accessed 24 April 2013. 245 ARIJ, ‘Status of Palestinian Territories and Palestinian Society Under Israeli Occupation’. 246 The ‘Regional Commander’ is defined as ‘the commander of forces of the Israel Defense Force in the region’ The ‘region’ is defined as ‘Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip’: Nationality and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order), 5763-2003, n.d.; available from http://www.antiquities.org.il/ article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=42&autotitle=true&subj_id=228&id=453&module_id=6#as; accessed 24 April 2013 As amended in 2005, Article 1.