Israeli demolitions make more Palestinians homeless

Approximately 740 Palestinians, including 384 children, were made homeless during the first six months of 2016 after the Israeli military tore down their housing structures in the occupied West Bank, according to new figures.

In a report published on Wednesday, Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem said 168 Palestinian homes were demolished across Area C between January 1 and June 30 - more than in all of 2015.

The figures do not count multiple demolitions of the same housing unit.

Area C, which comprises 60 percent of the West Bank and is home to approximately 300,000 Palestinians, is under full Israeli military, security and administrative control.

• 'Settlement expansion'

Separate B'Tselem data looking at demolitions over the past decade showed that most of the destruction was carried out in small, underprivileged communities far from the city centres, in areas such as the South Hebron Hills and the Jordan Valley.

"They target Palestinian areas that are sparsely populated, as the people there do not have political clout," B'Tselem spokesperson Sarit Michaeli told Al Jazeera.

"Israeli authorities want them to move into Area B in order to use Area C for settlement expansion. That's the crux of the issue."

Area B, comprising about 22 percent of the West Bank, is under Israeli security control, while the Palestinian Authority runs civil affairs. 

While tenants may be previously aware of a demolition order, Michaeli says Palestinians are not informed when their housing structure will be demolished...
  [aljazeera.com]
29/7/16