[News] House demolitions in the West Bank: A systematic Israeli ethnic cleansing

[Anti-Imperialist News]

  House demolitions in the West Bank: A systematic Israeli ethnic cleansing

Sunday 16-February-2025 - 
https://english.palinfo.com/Zionist-Terrorism/2025/02/16/334057/

<https://english.palinfo.com/Zionist-Terrorism/2025/02/16/334057/#>
<https://english.palinfo.com/Zionist-Terrorism/2025/02/16/334057/#>
<https://english.palinfo.com/Zionist-Terrorism/2025/02/16/334057/#>
<https://english.palinfo.com/Zionist-Terrorism/2025/02/16/334057/#>
+ -WEST BANK, (PIC)

Almost every day, Israeli bulldozers sink their claws into homes or 
facilities in the West Bank as part of a systematic policy aimed at 
forced displacement and ethnic cleansing. This occurs alongside rising 
settlement activity and Israel’s efforts to annex the West Bank and 
impose its sovereignty, all amidst international silence that amounts to 
complicity.

In recent days, there has been an unprecedented escalation in demolition 
crimes, with Israeli occupation forces destroying hundreds of homes and 
facilities, displacing thousands of Palestinians, including women and 
children, leaving them homeless in catastrophic humanitarian conditions. 
Demolition operations have focused on Al-Khalil, Jericho, and Jerusalem, 
as well as northern West Bank areas, which have been under large-scale 
military assault by Israeli forces for weeks, resulting in the 
destruction of hundreds of homes and the displacement of around 40,000 
citizens.

*Field testimonies
*On February 10, Israeli occupation forces carried out large-scale 
demolitions in three villages in the Masafer Yatta area south of 
Al-Khalil, destroying nine homes, water tank caves, solar panels, and 
agricultural projects in the Jinba, Maghayir al-Abeed, and Khillet 
al-Dab’a communities. According to a statement from the Palestinian 
Center for Human Rights, these attacks displaced nine families, totaling 
57 individuals, including 35 children and 9 women. One of the affected 
citizens, Abdul Rahman Abu Hamid, recounted, “Israeli soldiers came at 
dawn and didn’t even allow us to take our belongings. They destroyed 
everything before our eyes and left our children in the open. Where 
should we go? This is our land, and we will not leave it.”

On February 8, Israeli occupation authorities forced citizens in the 
villages of Um Tuba and Jabal al-Mukabber in Jerusalem to demolish their 
own homes, citing the lack of permits for construction. This led to the 
displacement of two families, comprising 11 members, including two women 
and seven children. Hassan al-Jabari, whose home was demolished in 
Jerusalem, said, “I built my house with the sweat of my brow, and I knew 
they would come to demolish it at any moment, but we have no choice. 
Either we demolish it ourselves, or we pay tens of thousands of shekels 
in demolition costs. In either case, we lose.”

*Shocking statistics: A systematic escalation of demolitions, displacement
*On February 4, Israeli forces demolished six tin houses in Aqbat Jabr 
refugee camp south of Jericho, displacing 14 Palestinians. They also 
destroyed a house under construction, a scrap collection facility, and 
damaged the electricity network in the western part of Idhna town west 
of Al-Khalil. According to the Palestinian Human Rights Center, Israeli 
forces have demolished 188 facilities since the beginning of this year, 
including 113 homes—17 of which their owners were forced to demolish 
them by themselves in Jerusalem, and 30 homes demolished under the 
pretext of lack of permits. The demolitions also targeted homes of four 
prisoners in Tulkarem, as part of a policy of collective punishment, as 
well as 75 other commercial facilities.

In addition to demolitions, Israeli occupation forces have destroyed 
hundreds of homes either completely or partially during their extensive 
military campaigns in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas, which have continued 
for weeks, resulting in the displacement of thousands of citizens.

*Settlements escalate amid international silence
*While Palestinian homes are being demolished, Israeli occupation 
authorities continue to build thousands of new settlement units and 
seize Palestinian land for settlers, as part of a policy aimed at 
establishing a new demographic reality, paving the way for the gradual 
annexation of the West Bank. Human rights activist Mahmoud Abu Rahma 
asserts that what is happening is part of a calculated plan to control 
Palestinian land, adding: “The occupation is not just demolishing homes; 
it is replacing the indigenous population with settlers. For every 
Palestinian home destroyed, a new settlement unit is built. This is a 
documented war crime, and the international community is complicit by 
its silence.”

*War crimes
*The Palestinian Center for Human Rights confirms that the demolition 
and forced displacement operations carried out by Israeli occupation 
forces constitute war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which 
prohibits collective punishment and the unlawful destruction of property 
belonging to people under occupation. Moreover, the rapid expansion of 
settlements is a blatant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 
2334, which affirms the illegitimacy of settlements and calls for an 
immediate halt to their construction.

While Israel persists in its expansionist policies, Palestinians remain 
steadfast in their land despite all the crimes and violations. Despite 
attempts at displacement and uprooting, Palestinians insist that these 
policies will not deter them from staying and resisting. With the 
escalation of demolitions and settlements continuing, the most pressing 
question remains: When will the international community take action to 
hold Israel accountable and stop these crimes against the Palestinian 
people?

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