HEBRON, Wednesday, March 02, 2022 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities today halted the construction of three houses in al-Juwaya community, east of Yatta, in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, according to a local activist.

Coordinator of the Protection and Resilience Committees, Fuad Al-Amour, told WAFA that Israeli forces handed a resident of the community a notice, ordering him to stop the construction of his 170-square-meter house, which was demolished for the first time about six months ago.

He added that soldiers handed two other residents notices to stop the construction of their homes in the same community.

Considered as one of the eastern suburbs of Yatta, Aj-Juwaya is heavily targeted by the Israeli occupation measures intended to obliterate Palestinian construction expansion.

Meanwhile, the soldiers handed over a notice to stop the reclamation of the 2000-donum nature reserve of Khallet Ad-Dabi‘, one of the hamlets making up Masafer Yatta.

In early February, the occupation authorities razed four water wells in the same hamlet as part of a wider campaign to seize some 400 donums in Khallet Ad-Dabi‘ to make room for colonial settlement construction.

Masafer Yatta is a collection of almost 19 hamlets which rely heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood.

Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control, the area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by settlers and soldiers targeting their main source of living - livestock.

It has been designated as a closed Israeli military zone for training since 1980s and accordingly referred to as Firing Zone 918.

Israeli violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes and residential structures. Issuance of construction permits by Israel to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.

K.T./ K.F.