Israel delivers 9 stop construction notices to Palestinians

Israeli occupation forces yesterday delivered nine notices ordering construction work stop at houses and structures belonging to Palestinian residents in the village of Marda to the north of Salfit governorate in northern occupied West Bank.

Head of Marda village council, Nisfat Al-Khuffash, said Israeli occupation soldiers stormed the village and handed residents nine notices ordering them to stop the construction work on houses and structures in the western and southern parts of the village, under the pretext that they are located in Area C of the West Bank, which falls under full Israeli administrative and military control.

Al-Khuffash explained that the village will follow up on the issue with the relevant institutions, noting that the Jerusalem Legal Aid Centre is also following up on notices which had previously been distributed to village residents.

The village is being targeted by occupation authorities, he said, adding that 28 such notices had been given to its residents over the past two months.

For his part, Salfit Governor Major General Abdullah Kmeil has instructed the competent authorities in the governorate to communicate with the village council and the residents affected by the notices to provide the necessary identification papers for legal follow-up.

A restrictive planning regime applied by Israeli authorities makes it almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits in Area C, impeding the development of adequate housing, infrastructure and livelihoods, a 2020 report found.

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