JERICHO, Wednesday, January 16, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli army bulldozers demolished on Wednesday Palestinian homes and other structures in the Jordan Valley, east of the occupied West Bank, under the pretext they were built without a permit., said a local official.

Aref Daraghmeh, former head of council of a Jordan Valley village, told WAFA that bulldozers from the Israeli military demolished a 30-square-meter residential structure belonging to Abdul-Hadi Abyat in the village of Fasayel, north of Jericho city.

Abyat said that he was informed four months ago of the army’s intention to demolish his home and that he has hired an attorney to follow up on the case but without success.

The army also demolished another 3-bedroom house in Fasayel owned by Adnan Abu Kharbish also under the pretext it was built without permit.

Israel refuses to permit virtually any Palestinian construction in the Jordan Valley, which is considered Area C that makes up more than 60 percent of the occupied West Bank and falls under full Israeli military rule, forcing residents to build without a permit to provide shelters for their families.

The Jordan Valley forms a third of the occupied West Bank, with 88 percent of its land classified as Area C – under full Israeli military control.

K.F./M.K.