[News] Israeli bulldozers demolish Palestinian structures in West Bank

[Anti-Imperialist News]

*Israeli bulldozers demolish Palestinian structures in West Bank*

Published today (updated) 02/09/2014 14:44
*http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=724813*


HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli bulldozers demolished a dairy factory in 
Hebron and Bedouin homes east of Jerusalem early Tuesday, witnesses told 
Ma'an.

Locals said Israeli troops escorted two bulldozers and two excavators to 
the al-Rama neighborhood in northern Hebron and began demolishing the 
factory, which is owned by Hebron's Islamic Charitable Society.

Journalists and bystanders were not allowed to approach the area which 
the Israeli army declared a closed military zone during the demolition, 
witnesses said.

Hatim al-Bakri, who chairs the board of directors of the Islamic 
Charitable Society, said the damages inflicted a loss of "about 2 
million US dollars."

"Services the Charitable Society offers to orphans in the Hebron 
district will be badly affected," al-Bakri said.

He said Israeli forces had confiscated the factory's belongings during 
the month of Ramadan.

Israel accuses the organization of being tied to Hamas, he added.

Separately, a Ma'an reporter said Israeli forces demolished Palestinian 
homes and structures near Jabaa village east of Jerusalem.

Bulldozers demolished five houses, four steel structures, and a barn 
that belonged to Bedouin families,

Local resident Jumaa Suleiman al-Maazi said bulldozers and military 
vehicles showed up without warning and demolished his house, where he 
said nine people lived.

Al-Maazi said he had received a demolition notice weeks earlier, but 
that there was no official "judicial order."

Eighteen Bedouin families have lived in the area since 1947, he said, 
adding that locals have been continuously threatened by Israeli settlers 
nearby.

A spokeswoman for Israel's civil administration told Ma'an via email 
that Israeli forces on Tuesday "carried out the demolition of an illegal 
building which was built without the necessary permits in the Hebron area."

"The building was demolished after the appropriate enforcement procedure 
was completed and a demolition order was delivered."

The spokeswoman also confirmed the demolitions in Jabaa. She said five 
buildings were destroyed by Israeli bulldozers.

"The buildings were demolished after 45 days were given to the residents 
to apply for a building permit. After this wasn't completed, it was 
decided to enforce the existing demolition orders on these buildings."

Israel rarely grants construction permits to Palestinians in the West 
Bank, and regularly demolishes structures built without permits.

In May, the EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah urged Israel to halt 
home demolitions in Area C of the West Bank, describing such actions as 
"forced transfer of population and demolitions of Palestinian housing 
and infrastructure."

Israel has demolished 359 Palestinian structures in the West Bank so far 
in 2014, according to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

Some 27,000 Palestinian homes and structures have been demolished by 
Israel since it occupied the West Bank in 1967.
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