Israel issues 20 demolition orders, destroys 2-storey Palestinian home

Israeli occupation forces issued 20 demolition orders to Palestinian families this morning in the village of Al-Dyouk Al-Tahta, near the occupied West Bank city of Jericho.

According to Wafa news agency, the demolition orders came while Israeli military bulldozers were in the middle of destroying a two-storey house nearby under the pretext that the orders did not have building permits.

Local villagers told Wafa that some of the homes that received the demolition orders were built more than five years ago and are owned by Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, including the two-storey building destroyed this morning.

The demolition of Palestinian homes across the occupied territories has increased since the extreme far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu took office. Ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich publicly advocate the expulsion of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes. Observers point out that the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians didn’t end in 1948 when the state of Israel was formed; it is ongoing.

Moreover, building licences are notoriously difficult and very expensive for Palestinians to obtain; they are rarely issued by the occupation authorities. With growing families, therefore, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem either have to extend their homes or build new ones without licences. This leaves them subject to demolition by the Israelis.

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