51 Palestinian structures demolished by Israel in West Bank in February

By Awad Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army demolished 51 Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank last month, according to Palestinian authorities on Sunday.

Most of the demolitions took place in the cities of East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron, the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said in a statement.

The demolished structures included 18 inhabited homes, 16 uninhabited houses and 15 agricultural and other facilities, it added.

The commission said Israeli authorities also issued 34 demolition notices for Palestinians in the West Bank.

The commission reported 1,195 attacks against Palestinians in February, of which 129 were carried out by Israeli settlers.

Palestinians and Israeli rights groups accuse Israeli municipal authorities of denying building permits to Palestinians while allowing the construction of Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

The Palestinians insist on East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for state, based on international legal resolutions.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

At least 419 Palestinians have since been killed and 4,500 others injured by Israeli army fire and in settler attacks in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice over its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 30,400 people dead.

In an interim ruling in January, the Hague-based court ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi