NABLUS, July 15, 2015 (WAFA) - Israeli authorities Wednesday ordered to stop the construction work on several Palestinian residents' structures in the northern Jordan Valley as a prelude to demolish them, according to a local official.

Head of Wadi Maleh village council, Aref Daraghmeh informed WAFA that military jeeps of the so called Israeli civil administration stormed the northern Jordan Valley area and handed out several demolition notices for several structures belonging to a local resident.

The notices notified the resident that their structures would be demolished in October.

The structures included an agricultural pond, and sheds used for agricultural purposes and others used as animal barns.

“Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement run counter to Israel's obligations under international law and create unnecessary suffering and tension. They must stop immediately,” stated the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

“In 2014 ... Israeli authorities destroyed 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, displacing 1,177 people — the highest level of displacement in the West Bank since OCHA began systematically monitoring the issue in 2008,” the U.N. office said.

“The planning policies applied by Israel in Area C and East Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians, making it extremely difficult for them to obtain building permits,” said the statement.

As a result, many Palestinians are forced to build without obtaining permits, which are rarely granted to Palestinians, in order to shelter their families and despite the risk of having their homes and structures demolished by Israel.

“Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met,” said OCHA.

Since 20 January, OCHA has recorded the Israeli authorities’ demolition of 42 Palestinian-owned structures in the Ramallah, Jerusalem, Jericho and Hebron governorates, reported the United Nations news center.

It said that in addition to those displaced, 59 Palestinians were otherwise affected, mainly due to the demolition of structures essential for their livelihood, mostly animal shelters. At least eight of these structures were funded by international donors.

'In contrast to the restrictive planning policy followed for Palestinian communities, Israeli settlements - all located within Area C - enjoy expansive allocations of land, detailed planning, hookup to advanced infrastructure and a blind eye regarding illegal construction,' stated

Israel seeks to empty the Jordan Valley, which makes around 40% of the West Bank area, from its Palestinian inhabitants in an aim to take it over and eventually annex it to Israel.' stated B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, in a report published in October 2013.

'In addition to the settlements sanctioned by the State of Israel and the Civil Administration, over a hundred settlement outposts were established in Area C with neither master plans nor state sanction,' said the center.

T.R.