Israel demolishes Palestinian home in West Bank citing ‘lack of permit’

NABLUS, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in the West Bank, in the latest spate of demolitions in the occupied territory.

Israeli forces raided the town of Sebastia in Nablus and brought down the house citing ‘lack of permit’ in Area C, mayor Mohammed Azem said.

He said the house, built years ago, was inhabited by an 8-member family.

Israel widely uses the pretext of 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.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a total of 768 Palestinian structures in Area C and the occupied East Jerusalem have been demolished by Israel between January and November 2021.

The UN Agency that protects Palestinian refugees UNRWA had in January 2022, ordered an immediate halt to all demolitions and evictions of Palestinians.

According to a statement by UNRWA, “Under international humanitarian law, …the destruction of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons by Israel, as the occupying power, is strictly forbidden, except …for the security of the population under occupation.”