Israel widely uses pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes in West Bank
The Israeli army demolished a new Palestinian home near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Monday, a local official said.
Israeli forces backed by a bulldozer raided the village of Al-Shuyukh in the southern West Bank and razed the two-story house after vacating its residents, Hani Jaara, a member of the Fatah group, told Anadolu.
He said Israeli forces cited the lack of a building permit for the demolition.
Israel widely uses the pretext of a lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.
Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B, and C.
Area C is under Israel's administrative and security control until a final status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.
Tension has been running high in the West Bank due to Israel's brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 44,200 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.
At least 824 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,500 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.
In July, the International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
