Israel demolishes Palestinian homes in Hebron

Israeli occupation forces yesterday demolished two Palestinian homes in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron, according to the official Palestinian Authority (PA)-owned Wafa news agency.

Wafa reported that Israeli forces and staff from the Israeli Civil Administration raided the Beir Al-Mahjar area of Hebron city before heading to the town of Beit Kahil, closing off its entrance.

In Beit Kahil, Israeli forces demolished two three-story homes belonging to Palestinians Anwar Sonoqrot and Ahmad Al-Tamimi under the pretext that they were built without the impossible to obtain planning permissions.

In Area C, the more than 60 per cent of the occupied West Bank which is under full Israeli security and civilian control, Palestinian construction and land management is prohibited unless through consent or authorisation by the Israeli Civil Administration.

Read: Israel demolishes West Bank apartment blocks

Nearly all Palestinian applications for building permits in Area C are denied by the Israeli authorities, forcing communities to build “illegally”.

Meanwhile, the estimated 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory are issued building permits and allowed to expand their homes and properties despite living in settlements that violate international law.