The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the Israeli authorities had demolished or seized 300 Palestinian structures including homes since the beginning of the current year in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
In a recent report on Israeli violations OCHA explained that the demolition measures were carried out at the pretext that the owners had no Israeli-issued building permits.
OCHA warned of the gravity of the demolition policy used by Israel against the Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem especially in Area C.
“A building of 12 housing units is at imminent threat of demolition in Wadi Qaddum area of Silwan neighborhood in east Jerusalem. Recently the Palestinian families received a demolition order from the Israeli municipality and were called to evacuate the building within days” OCHA said.
“If the demolition goes ahead 32 adults and 42 children will be forcibly evicted. Two of the households in the building are Palestine refugees and another two would be displaced for the second time in two years following previous demolitions” it pointed out.
“As with most demolitions in the occupied Palestinian territory including east Jerusalem the pretext for the possible demolition in Wadi Qaddum is the lack of an Israeli building permit; however such permits are virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain. The site on which the building is located has been designated by the Israeli authorities as an open/green space to be used as a public garden” OCHA elaborated.
