JERUSALEM, February 22. 2011 (WAFA) - The United Nations Monday condemned the demolition of temporary tented structures sheltering families from the weather in Khirbet Tana. This is the second such incident affecting the community this month.

Commenting on this latest demolition, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, Maxwell Gaylard, who visited Khirbet Tana earlier Monday, said: “If the authorities ultimately responsible for these demolitions could see the devastating impact on vulnerable Palestinian communities, they might reflect upon the inhumanity of their actions.ʺ

Gaylard added that ʺunder international law, Israel, as the occupying power in the occupied Palestinian territory, is prohibited from destroying property belonging to individuals or communities except when absolutely required by military operations.”

Khirbet Tana is a community of approximately 250 people, located in Israeli‐controlled Area C in the north of the West Bank, close to the city of Nablus. The residents, who have been in the area for decades, live in basic shelters (including tents and caves) and rely on herding and agriculture for their livelihoods.

Demolition of basic shelter and livelihood structures place serious strains on the coping mechanisms of communities affected, who have few other options to sustain their livelihoods, said the UN official.

In 2010, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded at least 350 demolished structures in Area C alone.

M.A.