HRW denounces Israeli decision to permit demolition of Palestinian homes

Human Rights Watch yesterday denounced the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to allow the evacuation of Palestinians and demolition of the village of Umm Al-Hiran in the Negev and the village of Susya in the occupied West Bank.

“It is a sad day when Israeli Supreme Court decisions provide legal cover for forced evictions, as in the case of these two villages. The Israeli government should let these communities stay where they are, not force them to move yet again,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director, said.

Human Rights Watch noted that there are about 80,000 Arabs who are living “under the constant threat of demolition in 35 villages that Israel does not recognise in the Negev, in similar circumstances as of Umm El-Hiran.”

The organisation added that the Israeli authorities have approved less than six per cent of the requests that were submitted by Palestinians between the years 2000 and 2012 to obtain permits for building.