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Israel issues 13 demolition orders to Qalqiliya village

September 8, 2017 at 10:49 pm

Israeli security forces gather around a demolition site in Jerusalem on 14 March, 2017 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s civil administration delivered 13 demolition notices to several families in the village of Jit in the northern occupied West Bank district of Qalqiliya yesterday.

The orders stated that the families had until the end of the month to present appeals against the demolition orders. Omar Yamin, a member of the village council, told Ma’an that some of the homes threatened with demolitions are near the illegal settlements of Kedumim and Gilad.

The village council is expected to challenge the demolition notices, he said, adding that the homes were not yet approved by the Israeli civil administration and the village has been working to obtain the relevant approvals in order to prevent demolitions in the future.

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Yamin told Ma’an that it was “unlikely” that the homes would actually be demolished by Israel, and that he instead saw the move as political and an attempt by Israeli authorities to “intimidate” the residents.

Yamin added that Israel’s civil administration had previously delivered demolition notices to homes in the village, but the demolitions were halted after being challenged by lawyers.

If these demolitions are carried out, at least 60 Palestinians would become homeless, Yamin added.