HEBRON, July 21, 2015 (WAFA) –
Israeli authorities on Tuesday demolished three Palestinian-owned structures in
the town of Idhna, west
of Hebron, under the pretext of construction without a permit, according to
local sources.
Local sources told WAFA that an
Israeli army force accompanied by heavy machinery broke into the town in the
early morning before they proceeded to demolish two workshops and a store,
citing unpermitted construction as a pretext. The force also confiscated some
equipment in one of the workshops.
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.
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 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.
Area C, teeming with
Israeli settlements and outposts, makes up 60% of the total area of the West
Bank, making the chance of a viable Palestinian state near to impossible.
“Most
Palestinians are forced to build without a permit to meet their needs. In many
cases, displacement is due to cumulative pressure created by a combination of
factors, including settler violence, movement restrictions (including the
Barrier) and restricted access to services and resources,” says OCHA.
It adds, “In
the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacement is primarily driven by a
number of occupation-related policies, including those linked to settlement
activity. In Area C and East Jerusalem, each year hundreds of Palestinian homes
and other structures are demolished due to the lack of Israeli-issued building
permits.”
“The
restrictive planning system makes it almost impossible for Palestinians to
obtain permits, while providing preferential treatment for Israeli settlements.”
In a related story, Israeli
forces razed an agricultural road in Yasuf village to the east of Salfit.
Escorting two bulldozers,
Israeli forces raided the village, where the bulldozers flattened a
newly-constructed road to the east of the village.
This came ten days after Israeli
units confiscated construction equipments from the construction site.
M.N/K.F/M.H
