JORDAN VALLEY, November 30, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli troops Monday confiscated Palestinian-owned residential tents and water pumps in al-Hadidiya and Deir localities in the northern Jordan Valley, according to local sources.

Aref Daraghmeh, who monitors settlement activities in Jordan Valley, said an Israeli army force broke into al-Hadidiya area and seized a number of residential tents granted by the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) and the Ministry of Local Government to local Palestinian Bedouins.

Forces, during the past couple of days, have demolished a number of Palestinian-owned structures in the abovementioned area.

Meanwhile, Daraghmeh said the Israeli military further seized water pumps, used for agricultural purposes, in the village of Deir.

Last Thursday, Israeli army demolished residential structures that shelter local Bedouin families in al-Hadidiya.

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.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator James Rawley has argued the Israeli 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 wrote in an official statement 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.

Israel is planning to annex the Jordan Valley into a completely Israeli area, primarily in agriculture, targeting to ban territorial contiguity between a future Palestinian state and the rest of the Arab world.

M.N./T.R.