PA criticises Israeli decision to demolish houses in area ‘C’

The Palestinian Authority has criticised the Israeli government’s decision to demolish Palestinian buildings funded by the EU in so-called area ‘C’ of the occupied West Bank. According to Anadolu news agency, a statement by the PA foreign ministry accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of “arrogance” over the decision. The ministry said that Israel is demolishing the buildings in order to retain control over the area solely for military and settlement purposes.

On Thursday, Israel’s Channel Two television said that Netanyahu had directed Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon to destroy all the buildings built in area ‘C’. They are, claimed Netanyahu, “illegal structures.”

The PA said that this “expresses the occupation’s arrogance and insistence on destroying the elements of a Palestinian state.” It undermines the two-state solution, the ministry added. “This obstructs all ways of peace and talks and spreads the culture of violence, hatred, extremism, racism and terrorism.” It called for the international community, EU, US and UN to confront these Israeli policies.

While the Israeli authorities destroy such structures under the pretext that they have no building permits, activists say that this is simply part of Israel’s policy to force Palestinians to leave their land ready for the expansion of settlements. All Israeli settlement-colonies are regarded as illegal under international laws and conventions.

The 1995 Second Oslo Agreement classified land in the occupied West Bank as Area A, which makes up 18 per cent of the territory and is under PA control; Area B, 21 per cent of the land and under the administrative control of the PA with security controlled by the Israeli occupation authorities; and Area C, 61 per cent, all of which is under the administrative and security control of the Israelis.