Ramallah, February 14 (RHC)-- Since the beginning of 2021, Israeli forces have destroyed at least 178 Palestinian buildings in the occupied West Bank rendering at least 259 Palestinians homeless, including 140 children.  According to a report by the Office for the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories (OCHA), the recent demolitions took place in mainly the Bedouin community of Humsa village in the northern Jordan valley.

Israeli authorities continue with the demolition of Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem al-Quds and area C, which makes up 60 percent of the West Bank.  The area C is under Israel’s full military, security and administrative control. Lack of Israeli-issued building permit is typically cited as the reason for demolition, even though, due to the restrictive and discriminatory planning regime, Palestinians can almost never obtain such permits.

Experts say demolitions serve as a key means of creating an environment that leaves Palestinians with no other choice than to be forced to leave their homes and towns.

In 2020, Israeli soldiers demolished near 900 buildings belonging to Palestinians and displaced more than a thousand people in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli regime’s demolition of Palestinian structures in the occupied territories is illegal, according to the international community.  It is also seen as part of Tel Aviv's aggressive policies against the Palestinians. Palestinians living under rigid military rule and without political rights describe the destruction of their homes as a policy of ethnic cleansing.