JORDAN VALLEY, July 5, 2017 (WAFA) – Israeli forces seized on Wednesday solar panels belonging to Palestinians in Khirbet al-Hammeh village, in the northern Jordan Valley region in the West Bank, according to a local source.

Aref Daraghmeh, a local Palestinian official, said Israeli forces raided the village and dismantled dozens of solar panels residents used to generate electricity for local use.

Israel claims the panels, usually donated by the European Union, were installed without permit and therefore it took them down.

Palestinian and international organizations say Israel, which has full military control over the Jordan Valley, never gives Palestinians permits to develop their villages, which lack basic humanitarian needs such as electricity and water lines.

In contrast, modern yet illegal Jewish settlements flourish in the area near the Palestinian village or on their land and are provided with full infrastructure facilities.

Israel earlier this week seized dozens of solar panels donated by Holland for the village of Jibbet al-Dhib also in the Jordan Valley, provoking furious reaction and protest from the Dutch government.

Before getting the solar panels, Palestinian residents of the Jordan Valley used noisy and expensive diesel-run generators to produce electricity for their communities for few hours a day.

M.N./M.K.