EU says demolitions 'central component' of Israeli occupation of Palestine territories

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Demolitions are major component of Israeli occupation of Palestine territories, according to a new EU report on Wednesday.

“Demolitions are a central component of Israel's settlement policy in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem aiming at consolidating control over the land and limiting Palestinian development," said a report by the Office of the EU Representative to the West Bank, Gaza and UNRWA.

According to the publication, in 2023, 1,177 structures were demolished or seized by Israel throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the highest number recorded since 2016.

As a result, 2,296 individuals were displaced and 439,875 affected.

The report said violence in the West Bank intensified sharply, resulting in a surge of demolitions and displacement after Oct. 7, 2023. Nearly 20% of the demolitions were partially or entirely demolished in Israeli military operations, especially in highly populated areas such as Jenin and Tulkarem.

On the situation in East Jerusalem, it said: “East Jerusalem witnessed a doubling of demolitions in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels since 2019.”

“Many Palestinian families remain at risk of eviction, particularly in the neighborhoods of Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, and al-Walaja,” it added.

Tension has been running high in the West Bank since Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 44,000 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

Nearly 785 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,400 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 unlawful, and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.