NABLUS, February 1, 2025 (WAFA) – A report by the National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlement has highlighted a sharp increase in Israel’s demolition of Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem and other areas of the West Bank.
The report attributes the escalation to pressure from ruling coalition parties, particularly the far-right Religious Zionism party led by Bezalel Smotrich and the Jewish Power party led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with key figures from the Likud party and the "Land of Israel Lobby" in the Israeli Knesset.
According to the weekly settlement report released today, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders last Sunday for all homes in Khirbet al-Nu’man, a village near Bethlehem. The orders, affecting 45 homes, were issued under the pretext of lacking permits, even though the village predates the Israeli occupation of 1967. The move is seen as part of a broader effort to annex the area into the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.
Jamal al-Dar'awi, head of the local council, stated that the village has been systematically denied essential services such as water, sewage, and waste collection by the Jerusalem municipality. Residents, who were registered as West Bank inhabitants after 1967, are treated as “illegal residents” in their own homes.
Following the construction of the Israeli separation wall, the village was further isolated from nearby Palestinian communities, worsening living conditions and increasing pressure on residents to leave.
In addition to Khirbet al-Nu'man, the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, occupied Jerusalem, faces ongoing demolition threats. On Sunday, hundreds of Silwan residents staged a protest outside Jerusalem’s municipal offices against home demolitions and eviction orders. Israeli left-wing activists joined the demonstration, holding banners condemning Israel’s policies and calling for an immediate halt to demolitions.
Silwan, home to approximately 59,000 Palestinians, has around 7,500 residents currently at risk of forced displacement. Israeli authorities claim their homes lack permits or are targeted for seizure by settler organizations.
Between October 2023 and November 2024, Israeli forces demolished 320 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, including 87 in Silwan alone. According to Jerusalem’s governorate, more than 30,000 structures in East Jerusalem are currently under demolition threat.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that Israeli authorities demolished 215 Palestinian structures in East Jerusalem in 2024, displacing over 40,000 residents. Silwan saw the highest number of demolitions (41), followed by Jabal al-Mukaber (34), al-Walaja (27), and al-Isawiya (24).
When including wider Jerusalem governorate areas, the total number of demolished structures reaches 402, with villages such as Anata (47 demolitions), Hizma (23), and southern Anata (18) among the most affected.
Beyond Jerusalem, Israel's demolition policies extend to the broader West Bank. In 2024, Israeli forces destroyed 1,058 Palestinian structures in Area C, including 192 homes, displacing 860 people and affecting 38,000 others.
These demolitions serve Israel’s ongoing expansion of illegal settlements, pushing thousands of Palestinian families toward forced displacement.
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