RAMALLAH, Friday, July 19, 2019 (WAFA) – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said yesterday that in the last two week alone, Israeli authorities demolished or seized eleven Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East Jerusalem, affecting 1,270 people.
In its Protection of Civilians Report covering the period between July 2 and 15, OCHA said the demolitions were carried out on the grounds of lacking an Israeli-issued permit, adding that three of the affected structures were donor-funded water cisterns in the Dkaika, Kashem al Karem and An Najada communities in Area C.
An estimated 1,200 persons, including 400 children, have been impacted by these demolitions and seizures, OCHA added. In addition, ten of the structures affected were recorded in eight separate Area C communities. This included a commercial structure demolished in the village of Idhna, due to its location within the boundaries of an Israeli-designated firing zone (309A).
The remaining nine affected structures in Area C included one uninhabited residential, four livelihood and four agricultural structures. Another two under-construction buildings were demolished in Az-Zaayyem town and As-Sawahira ash-Sharqiya in areas located within the Israeli-defined Jerusalem municipal area.
Meanwhile, OCHA recorded eight incidents involving Israeli settlers which resulted in the injury of two Palestinians and damage to 200 Palestinian-owned olive trees.
Two Palestinians, including a child, were physically assaulted and injured by settlers in two separate incidents in the H2 area of Hebron city and near Hizma town (Jerusalem).
In another two separate incidents, Palestinian local community sources reported that suspected Israeli settlers vandalized 200 olive and fig trees and saplings belonging to farmers in the villages of Susiya, Hebron, and Area B of Turmus‘ayya, Ramallah.
In additional incidents in the villages of Deir Jarir, Ramallah, and Yanun, Nablus, settlers reportedly let their sheep graze on agricultural land, vandalizing around 35 dunums of land planted with wheat and barley.
In two other incidents, Israeli settlers entered the villages of Awarta, Nablus, and Deir Qaddis, Ramallah, both in Area B, punctured the tires of 25 Palestinian vehicles and sprayed "price tag" graffiti on four houses, a school and a kindergarten.
M.N
