JERUSALEM, November 19, 2016 (WAFA) – The number of structures the Israeli authorities have targeted for demolition in Area C of the West Bank and occupied Arab East Jerusalem since the start of 2016 reached 1033, more than double the figure for the same period of 2015, A United Nations group said on Friday.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories said in its bi-weekly report on the Protection of Civilians covering the first half of November that at least 24 demolition, stop-work and eviction orders have been issued during the reporting period.
“In the West Bank, the Israeli authorities demolished or seized 47 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East Jerusalem on grounds of lack of building permits, displacing 26 Palestinians, ten of them children, and affecting the livelihoods of over 330,” it said.
Nine of these structures had been provided as humanitarian assistance in response to previous demolitions.
The UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities, Robert Piper, condemned in a statement on November 10 the Israeli authorities‘ “continued obstruction of humanitarian assistance.”
He stated that "targeting the most vulnerable of the vulnerable and preventing them from receiving relief - especially as winter sets in - is unacceptable and runs counter to Israel‘s obligations as an occupying power."
The OCHA report said five Palestinian families composed of 29 people living in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem received eviction notices in the context of cases filed by Israeli settler organizations claiming ownership over their homes.
A mapping exercise carried out by OCHA indicates that at least 180 Palestinian households in East Jerusalem have pending eviction cases filed against them, mainly by Israeli settler organizations, placing over 818 Palestinians, including 372 children, at-risk of displacement.
On three occasions, said OCHA, Israeli forces displaced 23 families (123 people, including 59 children) from two Palestinian herding communities in the northern Jordan Valley (Khirbet ar Ras al Ahmar and Ibziq) for several hours each time, to make way for military training. The two communities also face regular demolitions and access restrictions, giving rise to concerns over the risk of forcible transfer.
M.A.
