Israel demolishes dozens of Palestinian structures in occupied West Bank

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Qais Abu Samra

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli authorities demolished dozens of Palestinian structures, including residential apartments, in the occupied West Bank on Monday, a local official and witnesses said.

“Israeli forces razed 40 shops and a 400-square-meter house in al-Ramadin town” in the southern West Bank, municipal chief Anis al-Zaghah told Anadolu.

He said Israeli authorities cited the lack of building permits for demolishing the structures.

“The structures were built on private land and were vital for local families’ livelihoods,” he added.

Isa Al-Rwashdeh, the owner of one of the demolished businesses, said the targeted shops sold produce, building materials, and agricultural tools. He added that the demolition was followed by the burning of remnants on-site.

The Israeli forces also razed 11 other structures, including nine residential apartments, in Al-Bustan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, witnesses said.

According to the witnesses, the apartments were inhabited by 31 families, including children, with Israeli forces citing lack of a building permit for the demolitions.

Al-Bustan is home to 116 Palestinian houses with approximately 1,550 residents.

In recent months, the Israeli authorities have intensified demolitions in the neighborhood where the Jerusalem Municipality plans to build a “biblical park,” according to Palestinians.

Silwan remains one of the most targeted areas in East Jerusalem for demolitions and land confiscations by the Israeli authorities.

Since the beginning of 2024, Israel has escalated discriminatory practices in East Jerusalem, demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes and structures.

Human rights organizations accuse Israel of deliberately restricting building permits for Palestinians in East Jerusalem as part of a broader effort to limit the Palestinian population in the city.

Israeli authorities prohibit construction or land reclamation in Area C of the West Bank without permits, which Palestinians say are nearly impossible to obtain.

The Oslo II Accord of 1995 divided the West Bank into three zones: Area A under full Palestinian control, Area B under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, and Area C under full Israeli civil, administrative, and security control.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank over Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, where more than 45,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed.

At least 812 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,450 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice 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.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio