The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Monday delivered stop-work orders against several houses in Masafer Yatta south of al-Khalil as a prelude to demolishing them later.
According to local sources local residents in different areas of Masafer Yatta received stop-work orders against seven homes at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The homes are located in at-Tuwani and Irfaiya areas of Masafer Yatta.
Masafer Yatta is located south of al-Khalil City and comprised of 19 Palestinian hamlets that are home to more than 2000 people.
The Israeli army designated vast tracts of the region a closed military zone for training in the 1980s.
The local residents are sometimes forced to evacuate their homes during Israeli military exercises for temporary periods that could last days with helicopters roaming above their heads and heavily armed Israeli troops opening fire on the ground.
In addition to using the area as a training zone the Israeli occupation authority has expropriated thousands of dunums of land from the local residents to establish illegal settlements including Ma’on and Havat Ma’on — whose Jewish settlers carry out attacks against the Palestinian communities.
Masafer Yatta residents are always at risk of forcible transfer and suffer from coercive environment conditions resulting from a range of Israeli policies and practices that have undermined their stability and sources of livelihood.
Masafer Yatta falls within Area C comprising 60 percent of the occupied West Bank which the Israeli occupation army’s civil administration reserves largely for the benefit of Jewish settlers.
The occupied West Bank was divided into Area A B and C as part of the 1993 Oslo Accords. Israel retains total control of Area C while the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been granted limited powers to govern Area A and B.
