Israel widely uses pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes in West Bank
The Israeli army demolished seven Palestinian houses in the West Bank on Wednesday, in the latest wave of home demolitions in the occupied territory.
Israeli forces raided the town of Shuqb, west of Ramallah, and razed six homes, a shed, and retaining walls, citing the lack of a building permit, village chief Adnan Shalash told Anadolu.
He said the demolished structures included a three-story house that had stood for 15 years, calling the demolitions “a tragedy for the local community.”
Shalash said that five homes had been demolished by the Israeli army in the town in recent months.
In Rujeib, east of Nablus in the northern West Bank, Israeli forces demolished a two-story house for the alleged lack of a construction permit, witnesses said.
According to Palestinian figures, Israeli authorities demolished 588 Palestinian structures in the first half of this year, affecting 843 people, including 411 children.
During the same period, 556 demolition orders were issued, including 322 for inhabited homes and 151 for agricultural structures.
Israel widely uses the pretext of a lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.
Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B, and C.
Area C is under Israel's administrative and security control until a final status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.
Since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, at least 993 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
