In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have demolished the home of a Palestinian man who was killed by the regime’s forces eight years ago, displacing its occupants. RNA - Palestine's official Wafa news agency reported that Israeli bulldozers and other wrecking equipment, escorted by a large Israeli military force, demolished the three-story house in the refugee camp of Qalandiya, to the north of Jerusalem al-Quds on Wednesday.
The report, citing local sources, also said that Israeli authorities alleged that the owner had failed to obtain relevant “building permits”, which are nearly impossible to obtain from the Israeli regime. It added that Israeli soldiers prevented reporters from covering the event.
The house belonged to the family of Ali Khalifa, who was killed by Israeli forces in August 2011 on charges of attacking Israeli soldiers.
Israel has razed the homes of hundreds of Palestinians for their alleged involvement in attacks against Israelis. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly condemned the move as a violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits collective punishment.
Israeli authorities demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank usually claiming that the residential structures have been built without the relevant building permits. Israeli authorities also sometimes order the Palestinian owners to demolish their own homes or else the municipality would charge them for the demolition costs.
Back in May, the Israeli rights group, B’Tselem, said in a report that the Tel Aviv regime uses other strategies to block Palestinian use of land, or demolish the homes Palestinians have already built, thus, clearing the way for new Israeli settlements in the region.
Israeli authorities may declare Palestinian-owned land as “open scenic areas,” where development is prohibited, or as “national parks,” where construction and urban development are almost entirely forbidden.
In other parts of the occupied territories, vast swaths of land, including towns and villages, may be declared to be “military zones” almost as a matter of routine, and Palestinians are forced to leave their homes for set periods when the military moves in.
Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers
Separately on Wednesday, some 10 Israeli settlers and troops attacked Palestinian farmers and forced them out of their lands in the Ramallah area village of Umm Safa in the West Bank, Wafa reported, adding that the settlers were from the nearby Halamish settlement
It also said that Israeli soldiers had held two employees of the village council for several hours before releasing them.
Palestinians say the attacks, thefts and vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their lands are coordinated ahead of time with the Israeli military. Furthermore, most of such attacks are met with impunity, with those guilty rarely facing any consequences.
In recent years, Israeli settlers have been frequently caught on camera vandalizing Palestinian farms in the occupied West Bank and stealing their olive harvests.