PALESTINIAN HOMES TORN DOWN AFTER COURT CASE
▶ Israel destroys 70 Jerusalem homes and sets precedent for demolitions
Israel yesterday demolished 10 Palestinians homes near the Palestinian side of the separation barrier that straddles the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, a move that drew international criticism.
At about 3am, hundreds of Israeli police and soldiers moved in on the village of Wadi Al Hummus to demolish the homes. Despite immediate international objections, more demolitions loom.
The villagers of Wadi Al Hummus, a part of the Jerusalem suburb of Sur Baher, lost their case last month before Israel’s Supreme Court in a final bid to stop the demolition of 10 buildings comprising about 70 apartments.
The majority of structures are located in Area A of the occupied West Bank, under control of the Palestinian Authority, the body led by President Mahmoud Abbas that has limited self-rule in the territory under Israeli occupation. It had given residents permission to build the structures.
Israel says that the houses lie too close to the separation barrier dividing Israel and the occupied West Bank, and therefore breach a construction ban and pose a security risk.
Palestinians say they worry that the Wadi Al Hummus case will set a new precedent for demolitions in Sur Baher and other Palestinian villages along the wall, which ranges from fencing to concrete.
“What is happening today is a mass displacement of the people living in Wadi Al Hummus, despite the legal and diplomatic attempt to protect their property,” Ali Al Obeidi, the chairman of the Wadi Al Hummus Committee, told local Palestinian news.
Residents say they have poured savings into the targeted buildings and now fear being homeless and in financial difficulty.
Yesterday, as Israeli soldiers began their demolition preparations, the military said the area was a closed zone and prevented access to journalists.
Palestinian and international activists reported that soldiers violently removed them from homes, with some being taken to hospital.
“Soldiers ran in, put dynamite in on every floor. We stayed in the building. Buses and buses of soldiers arrived on a scale I’d never seen before. Four of us went into the bathroom – there were Palestinians, some elderly, in the building too. We heard massive bangs and we were all pretty scared,” a British activist present at one of the demolished buildings told The National.
She said Israeli soldiers threw “multiple tear gas canisters” inside the bathroom and locked the door, only to then “drag us violently, pulling regardless of safety or policy. In five years, I haven’t experienced this level of force before. It’s quite unprecedented to happen against internationals.”
Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, land which Palestinians seek as the basis of any future sovereign state. The 1993 Oslo Peace Accords established the PA to control Areas A and B of the West Bank with Israeli control in Area C, the largest. Israel frequently demolishes Palestinian structures it says are built illegally in East Jerusalem and Area C. Palestinians say they have no choice as Israeli authorities rarely provide them permits to build.
United Nations humanitarian co-ordinator Jamie McGoldrick said yesterday that they were “following with sadness” the developments in Sur Baher. He pledged humanitarian support for those affected and condemned the “trauma” facing the community and the “violation of their rights”.
“But no amount of humanitarian assistance can replace a home or cover the massive financial losses sustained today by the owners,” he said. “What happened today in Sur Bahir is of even greater significance, as many other homes and structures now risk the same fate.”
The EU also quickly condemned the events.
Despite international backing, Sur Baher’s residents are bracing for more demolitions.