BETHLEHEM, September 3, 2018 (WAFA) – Palestinian residents of al-Walaja, a village five kilometers west of southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, parts of which was later annexed by Israel to become part of Jerusalem, attempted on Monday without success to block Israeli attempts to demolish four of their homes under the pretext of construction without permit.

Residents holed themselves up in the homes to prevent their demolition but Israeli occupation forces, providing protection to bulldozers from the Israeli West Jerusalem municipality, used force to disperse them.

The forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at the residents, causing several injuries and tear gas suffocation.

According to Walaja activist Ibrahim Awadallah, a large Israeli force raided the village and sealed off all roads leading to it as municipality bulldozers proceeded to demolish two homes belonging to Khalid Abu Khiyara, which were inhabited by 11 people.

He said a number of people who were holed up inside the home of another resident, Ahmad Abu al-Teen, in an attempt to prevent the Israeli demolition, were forced to leave it before it was also demolished.

Residents have also stayed inside a fourth home owned by Alaa Hajajleh to protect it, but were also forced to leave it and the brick house was then demolished.

Awadallah told WAFA that a fifth resident, Hanan al-Razem, has proceeded to demolish her house by herself after the Israeli municipality ordered her, along with the other targeted homes, to demolish them by themselves to avoid paying exorbitant amount on money if the municipality carries out the demolition.

However, village residents intervened with Razem and swayed her from continuing to demolish it with her own hands.

More than 97 percent of al-Walaja’s 5000 dunums, mainly agricultural land, were considered Area C, according to the Oslo accords signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1994, which means under full Israeli control where residents cannot build to develop without Israeli army permission. The remaining 2.6 percent, or the inhabited area, was classified Area B, under Palestinian civilian administration but Israeli military control.

Since its occupation in 1967, along with the rest of the West Bank, Israel had seized most of Al Walaja land to build two settlements, Gilo, and Har Gilo. Israel later built the annexation wall on village land, further separating the agricultural land from the rest of the village, making them difficult to reach and harvest.

K.T./M.K.