BETHLEHEM, January 26, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities issued demolition orders for 45 homes in the village of al-Nu'man, located east of Bethlehem, on Sunday, according to local sources.

Jamal al-Darawi, the head of the al-Nu'man Village Council, reported that Israeli forces, accompanied by employees from the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem, stormed the village and posted demolition notices on the facades of 45 occupied homes.

The notices cited the lack of building permits as the reason for the demolitions, despite the fact that many of these homes were built before 1948, with the most recent construction dating back to 1993.

Al-Darawi added that the Israeli authorities aim to displace the village's residents and incorporate the area into the boundaries of the Jerusalem Municipality.

He also pointed out that about a year and a half ago, an Israeli military court had ruled to impose the Arnona property tax on all homes in the village, which had been issued demolition orders six times previously. Homeowners were forced to pay between 30,000 and 60,000 shekels per house in these tax fees.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israeli authorities issued 903 demolition orders for Palestinian structures in 2024, claiming they lacked permits.

The majority of these orders were distributed across the West Bank, with 180 orders in Hebron, 140 in Jericho and the Jordan Valley, and 126 in Bethlehem. These also included 20 demolition orders targeting the eastern rural areas of Bethlehem.

The commission noted that in 2024, Israel carried out 684 demolitions, impacting a total of 903 Palestinian structures in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. As a result, 4,332 people were displaced, including 2,320 children.

M.N