BETHLEHEM, February 9, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces on Monday ordered a halt to the construction of 10 Palestinian-owned houses in al-Maniya village, southeast of the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, according to a local source.

Zayed Kawazba, head of al-Maniya Village Council, said that the occupation forces handed military notices, ordering the construction of 10 houses to stop immediately.

He slammed this measure as an arbitrary and racist practice targeting the villagers, which comes as part of a systematic policy aimed at restricting Palestinian inhabitants and forcefully displacing them.

He noted that the village has been the target of daily Israeli violations, including denying farmers access to their land, property vandalism, restricting Palestinian construction, and issuing demolition notices against residential and agricultural structures.

He called on local and international human rights organizations as well as all relevant parties to intervene urgently to stop these violations.

K.F.