Israel forces Palestinian brothers to demolish own home in occupied West Bank amid arrests

Israeli authorities have forced two Palestinian brothers to tear down their own home in the occupied West Bank, a report says.

Israeli authorities on Sunday left Palestinian brothers Firas and Iyad Da’ana no choice but to demolish their own home, still being constructed, in Silwan town, a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood on the outskirts of the Old City of Jerusalem al Quds.

The municipality’s order to raze the building was issued under the pretext of lacking the necessary construction license, which is almost impossible to obtain, the Palestinian Information Center said in a report, citing local sources.

Iyad said that the municipality had ordered them to raze their home and if they refused to do as ordered, demolition crews from the municipality would do the job, and in that case, the two brothers would have to pay the sum of 50,000 shekels (14,500 dollars) as demolition costs.

He stressed that he and his brother had tried multiple times to obtain the construction permit but were always denied permission. 

Since January, the Israeli regime has forced more than 20 Palestinians in the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds to raze their homes.

Back in May last year, 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 illegal 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 Israeli military moves in.  

Israel arrests over a dozen Palestinians in occupied West Bank

On Sunday, Israeli forces arrested 13 Palestinian citizens in different localities of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Information Center said in a separate report, citing local sources.

The abductees, including a 14-year-old boy, were arrested from their homes in Jerusalem al-Quds, Ramallah and al-Khalil (Hebron), it further said, adding that a number of Palestinian homes and stores were also raided and damaged during the arrests.

The report also said that two Palestinian young men in Jerusalem al-Quds were also handed orders to appear before the Israel Intelligence Service for interrogation.

Israeli forces storm neighborhood in Tira, demolish Palestinian homes

Israeli forces demolish four Palestinian homes in the Arab city of Tira, displacing their residents, a report says.

Several Palestinian shot in West Bank

On Saturday night, Israeli troops shot and wounded at least three Palestinian young men in al-Mughir village, located to the east of Ramallah, during a military raid on the rural area, the Palestinian Information Center said in another report.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets and teargas canisters at Palestinian youths in the village, wounding three of them, one of whom was shot in the head.

The society added that a large number of locals had been treated for tear gas suffocation as the Israeli forces fired teargas canisters on people and their homes.

Al-Mughir village, surrounded by four illegal Israeli settlements and a military base, is constantly raided by the Israeli forces in an attempt to scare off its inhabitants, the report added.

At least 80 percent of the village is under construction ban imposed by Israeli authorities, who have also prohibited the villagers from reaching its eastern part, claiming that it is a closed military zone, it further said.

More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.

All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

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