Israeli army to demolish over 50 Palestinian homes in West Bank

The Israeli military has threatened to demolish more than 50 Palestinian homes in the northern part of the West Bank as the Tel Aviv regime continues with its land expropriation policies in the occupied territories and violation of international law.

Local Palestinian media reports said that homes would be demolished by Israeli regime forces in Beit Dajan village, which is located east of Nablus  for lacking Israeli construction permits.

Nasir Abu Jaish, mayor of the village confirmed that Israeli army handed notices to local citizens informing them that at least 51 homes would be demolished in 60 days for lacking Israeli construction permits.

The homes are located in  the so-called  area C of the West Bank, which constitutes about 61 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli military control.

Mohammed Abu Jaish, a local resident whose family has lived in the area for generations said, "We received a notice to demolish the house a few weeks ago, claiming that it was located on land allocated to military activities, although it is a private property."

He added that the same fate threatens his sisters and cousins.

Separately, Israeli authorities delivered evacuation notices to over 20 Palestinian families in the Jordan Valley area of the northern occupied West Bank late Thursday night, in order to make way for active military drills and training.

Palestinian residents of the Jordan Valley regularly face evacuations and interruption due to Israeli military exercises on  their land.

In recent years, Israel has expanded the authority of its military to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied territories. The Israeli army can now execute demolition orders in the so-called Area C of the West Bank just days after they are issued. 

PressTV-780 homes razed in W Bank's Area C in 2016

A recent report has revealed that 780 Palestinian-owned structures have been destroyed by Israel in Area C of the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year.

In recent months, the Israeli regime ordered the demolition of Palestinian homes as a punitive measure in response to a growing number of alleged attacks by Palestinians against Israeli settlers, who constantly waged attacks against Palestinian residents and their properties.

Residents say Israel is relentlessly destroying Palestinians’ homes and livelihoods in order to make way for more illegal settlements.

International bodies and rights groups argue that Israel’s sustained demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds are an attempt by the Tel Aviv regime to uproot Palestinians from their native territories, and confiscate more land for expansion of illegal settlements.

More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian lands have created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.

The Palestinian Authority wants the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinians state, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

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