HEBRON, May 26, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli forces handed Tuesday two local residents of al-Kom locality and Idhna town to the southwest and west of Hebron respectively orders to demolish their properties, said local municipal sources.

Sources from Al-Yasiriya Municipality said that an Israeli army force and ‘Civil Administration’ officers broke into al-Kom locality and handed Mohammad al-Rjoub, a local resident, a notice  indicating their intent to demolish a water reservoir he owns in Qusin area.

This was not the first time al-Rjoub was handed a notice to demolish his property; this is the second time he receives such notice to demolish his water cistern.

Meanwhile, forces broke into Wadi al-Naqiya (al-Naqiya valley) in the western section of Idhna, where they handed ‘Adnan al-Batan a notice notifying him of their intention to demolish his house purportedly for building without license, WAFA correspondent reported sources from Idhna Municipality as saying.

The home slated for demolition occupies a 130-square-meters area and has been populated since 2009.

Mayor of Idhna ‘Abdul-Fattah Islaimya was reported as saying that these Israeli practices are intended to displace local Palestinians from their homes.

He noted that the locality of Wadi-al-Naqiya has been populated by Palestinians for several decades. It is connected to municipal utility services and has access to other municipal services.

Issuance of construction permits for Palestinians living in Area C, under full Israeli administrative and military control, is strictly limited, forcing Palestinians residing in such areas to embark on construction without obtaining a permit to provide a shelter for themselves and their families, risking in the process having their homes demolished.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), between December 30, 2014 and January 12, 2015, the Israeli authorities demolished 27 Palestinian structures in Area C of the West Bank and five in East Jerusalem, in addition to two self demolition incidents, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits.

Al-Maqdisi Institute reported that between the years 2000 and 2014, the Israeli authorities demolished around 1,342 buildings in East Jerusalem (the areas annexed by Israel in 1967), which has resulted in the displacement of approximately 5,760 people.

Data also showed an increase in the cases of residents being forced to demolish their own houses: 340 people were forced to demolish their own homes during the period 2000-2014; the highest rate of self-demolition was recorded in 2010 with 70 demolitions and 49 in 2009.

Many families are forced to demolish their homes with their own hands to avoid the high cost of paying for Israeli government bulldozers.

K.F./T.R.