WEST BANK, August 11, 2015
(WAFA) – Israeli authorities demolished multiple structures, including
residential units, in the West Bank districts of Jenin as well as in the
northern Jordan Valley, according to local sources.
In Jenin, Israeli army last
night demolished a number of commercial structures in the village of al-Jalameh
to the north of Jenin, the village’s mayor, Khaled Abu Farha, told WAFA.
He said the army accompanied by
bulldozers arrived at the entrance of the village, just a hundred meter away from
al-Jalameh border crossing, and demolished a cafeteria, a restaurant, a car
repair shop, and a taxi office. The army also ransacked the content of these facilities.
Last year, the army notified
the owners of these structures about their intent to demolish them, Abu Farha
added.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces on
Tuesday morning demolished a number of Palestinian-owned residential structures
near Hamra checkpoint, in the northern Jordan Valley, according to their owner,
Malek Bsharat.
Bsharat said he had earlier
received a notification from the army regarding their intent to demolish the
structures, under the pretext of building without a permit. He noted that some
the structures were built before 1967, prior to the Israeli occupation of the
West Bank.
The Jordan Valley is part of Area C of
the West Bank, under complete Israeli control, where Israel rarely issues
construction permits for Palestinians, prompting them to embark on construction
without obtaining construction permits.
The Israeli army and police have
repeatedly vandalized residencies in the Jordan valley under the pretext of
construction without permission.
According to the United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israel demolished 390
Palestinian-owned structures in the Jordan valley in 2013 alone, up from 172
the year before.
Also last year, Israel destroyed some 590
Palestinian buildings in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Jordan
Valley, displacing 1,177 people, adds OCHA.
It said that, “Israel’s extrajudicial
demolitions continue into 2015. In January alone, Israel destroyed 77 buildings
belonging to Palestinians in the West Bank, leaving 110 people, roughly half of
whom were children, homeless in the cold of the winter.”
UN Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator James Rawley argued the demolitions violate international law.
“Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement run counter to
Israel’s obligations under international law and create unnecessary suffering
and tension,” he said. “They must stop immediately.”
OCHA argues that 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.”
“As a result, many Palestinians build
without permits to meet their housing needs and risk having their structures
demolished. Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and
equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met,” it added.
M.N/M.H
