Israel stops construction of school in Bethlehem

Israeli authorities forcibly halted the construction of a school in Jubbet Ad-Dib village in the eastern part of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank yesterday, despite Palestinians receiving an Israeli-issued building permit for the project.

A representative of a popular resistance committee in Bethlehem, Hadan Brejiyeh, told Ma’an that Israeli occupation forces, escorted by employees of the Israeli civil administration “raided the village” and stopped construction at the school.

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Vehicles belonging to an Italian NGO were also confiscated. The residents said they had received a difficult-to-obtain Israeli-issued building permit for the project.

A spokesperson for the Israeli civil administration was not immediately available to comment on the incident.

Palestinians living in Area C – the more than 60 per cent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control – must apply for construction permits with the Israeli civil administration for any kind of development on their lands. These requests are often denied and the application process can be lengthy and expensive.