The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the Israeli authorities demolished seized or forced people to demolish 57 Palestinian structures including homes during two weeks in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
In its recent biweekly report on Israeli violations OCHA explained that the demolition measures were carried out during the period of 6 – 19 December 2022 at the pretext that the owners had no Israeli-issued building permits “which are almost impossible to obtain.”
13 of the structures were provided by donors as humanitarian assistance according to the report.
As a result the demolitions displaced 44 people including 22 children and affected the livelihoods of about 2000 people.
“46 of the structures were in Area C including two structures demolished based on military order 1797 which provides only a 96-hour notice and very limited grounds for legally challenging a demolition.”
“On 6 December Israeli forces confiscated two donor-funded tents and one latrine unit in Isfey al Fauqa in Hebron (al-Khalil) in an area designated by the Israeli authorities as ‘Firing Zone 918.’ These structures were provided in response to the Israeli authorities’ demolition of the community’s school on 23 November 2022 on the grounds that it lacked a building permit. The school served 21 students from three communities in southern Hebron.”
“The remaining seven structures were demolished in east Jerusalem including one that was destroyed by its owner in al-Issawiya to avoid the payment of fines to the Israeli authorities.”
“During the reporting period for three consecutive days (13-15 December) Israeli forces conducted military training in Masafer Yatta in southern Hebron. This area has been designated by Israeli authorities as a ‘firing zone’ and declared closed. The training which involved armored vehicles but no live ammunition restricted the access of Palestinians to basic services. This is the third time since the beginning of the year that such activities take place in this area where over 1000 Palestinians including 560 children live in 13 herding communities in Masafer Yatta. Such practices are part of a coercive environment that pushes Palestinians to leave their communities and may result in forcible transfer.”
During the reporting period OCHA also said that Israeli forces shot and killed six Palestinians and injured 171 Palestinians including at least 44 children during different incidents across the West Bank.
As for settler violations the report said that Jewish settlers injured six Palestinians including one child in six incidents and caused damage to Palestinian property in 20 instances.
In eight other incidents near Turmus ‘Ayya (Ramallah) Jit (Qalqilya) Urif Madama and Beit Dajan (all in Nablus) Yasuf (Salfit) Tuqu (Bethlehem) and Mantiqat Shi’ al Butum (al-Khalil) settlers uprooted and damaged some 900 olive trees on swaths of Palestinian land near Jewish settlements where in some areas Palestinian access requires approval from the Israeli military.
Additionally Palestinian property was damaged and livestock were injured in seven settler-related incidents near Qalqilya Nablus al-Khalil and Bethlehem. The property damaged included 12 vehicles agricultural structures two water tanks and stone fences according to OCHA.
