RAMALLAH, January 26, 2011 (WAFA) – Israel tripled the number of homes it destroyed in the Palestinian areas, including East Jerusalem, last year compared to the year before, according to Dimitry Diliani, member of Fatah Revolutionary Council from Jerusalem.

Diliani, who based his figures on a new report on house demolition published Wednesday by the Israeli human rights organization B’tselem, said that demolition of Palestinian houses is contrary to international law and is a collective punishment with a goal to empty the Palestinian territory of its inhabitants.

 Israel, he said, wants to take over as much Palestinian land as possible for Jewish settlement projects.

Israel destroyed 24,813 Palestinian houses from 1967 until the middle of 2010, including 4,120 houses during the Intifada.

The demolition of houses by Israel is done under various pretexts including security and building without permits.

As a result of Israeli demolition actions 472 Palestinians, including 223 minors, lost their homes last year, up from 217, including 60 minors, in 2009, according to the B'tselem report.

T.R.