The destruction of Palestinian residences by Israel in the West Bank is intensifying at an alarming rate.
In the period following 7 October, Israeli forces have razed more than 400 homes within the West Bank, resulting in 2,368 Palestinians being forced from their dwellings, among them 1,047 minors.
Prior to August of the current year, Israel had already demolished or compelled the demolition of 923 structures owned by Palestinians in the West Bank, causing the displacement of 1,906 residents.
For perspective, throughout the entirety of 2022, Israel demolished or mandated the destruction of 954 Palestinian edifices or structures, displacing 1,032 individuals.
During the final week of June, Israeli military forces demolished or coerced the demolition of eight residences across various West Bank locations, with three in the vicinity of Hebron, five near Jericho, and one in East Jerusalem under occupation.
Israeli authorities assert that these buildings were constructed without proper permits, while Palestinians contend that Israel’s objective is to expel them from their land to make way for settlement expansion.
On two occasions in 2024, Israel has proclaimed land seizures of unprecedented scale in the West Bank, aiming to expand and establish settlements that the International Court of Justice has unequivocally deemed illegal and mandated for removal.
Samir Abu Shakra, a 51-year-old Bethlehem resident, initiated construction on a new home in 2019 within the Marah Mualla region to the south of Bethlehem.
He informed US-based outlet The Electronic Intifada that his current dwelling, inherited from his deceased parents, is both too cramped for his family of eight and plagued by insect infestations.
Through years of labour at a marble factory, he accumulated savings and commenced building a new residence. However, as the house neared completion in April, he received a demolition order from the Israeli military.
‘I had plans to move in with my family this summer, but our aspirations were dashed and vanished into thin air,’ Abu Shakra lamented.
He promptly enlisted legal counsel to halt the demolition, but his appeal was rejected by an Israeli court.
On the morning of 25 June, at nine o’clock, Israeli bulldozers arrived, encircled Abu Shakra’s house, and proceeded to raze it.
Abu Shakra, now jobless due to the economic decline in the West Bank, estimates his total expenditure at over $190,000, encompassing both construction costs and legal fees.
‘Now I must seek rental accommodation that my family can afford, as life in our current house has become unbearable. My children weep daily over the demolished house, having prepared their belongings for the move,’ he explained.
On 18 July, the Israeli government issued a decree assuming civil administration of the so-called Area B in the West Bank, including oversight of planning and construction.
Area B comprises slightly more than 20 per cent of the West Bank and had previously been under Palestinian Authority civilian control as per the Oslo accords of the 1990s, though Israel retained security jurisdiction.
This move is widely interpreted as a response to pressure from the Israeli settlement movement, which can now extend its reach into Area B.
Additionally, it implies that Palestinians will now need to apply to Israeli authorities for building permits in these areas, which are seldom granted, as is the case in Area C.
As a result, it is anticipated that demolitions in these regions will increase dramatically.
Moreover, possessing construction permits offers no guarantee against home demolitions.
The residence of Tamer Abu Aisha in the Hebron area, which had been granted a construction licence and had been occupied for 11 years, was not spared from destruction by the Israeli military.
Aisha, along with his spouse and six children, was evicted before the building was demolished.
Nader, Tamer’s brother, recounted that when the bulldozers arrived, Tamer, a goldsmith by trade, presented his licence to the commanding officer on site, but the soldier returned the document.
‘This is a nice paper, keep it,’ the soldier remarked before ordering the bulldozers to proceed with the demolition.
‘It’s a war against all Palestinians,’ Nader declared. ‘They aim to drive us from our land, demolishing our homes and seizing our property to facilitate settlement construction.’
Nader claimed that the officer overseeing the demolition had also mentioned plans to raze an additional 20 homes in the same area, known as Farsh al-Hawa, west of Hebron.
‘My brother’s house wasn’t the first and won’t be the last. Numerous houses will be demolished without justification, while settlers’ residences are constructed without restrictions, despite contravening international law,’ Nader stated.
Raed Muqadi, a researcher at the Land Research Centre, a Jerusalem-based rights organisation dedicated to exposing breaches of international law in land and resource allocation in occupied territories, asserts that an ‘organised gang’ of settlers monitors Palestinian construction in the West Bank and relays all information to the Israeli Civil Administration.
Regavim, a ‘public movement’ affiliated with the Israeli government that oversees land use throughout what it terms the ‘land of Israel’, including the occupied West Bank, comprises settlers tasked with reporting all Palestinian construction efforts in Area C to the Israeli Civil Administration, according to Muqadi.
‘We have recently observed a significant escalation in demolitions for two reasons,’ Muqadi explained.
‘Firstly, the Israeli government is implementing the agenda of extremist settler organisations to intensify settlement construction in the West Bank. Secondly, Israel has exploited the PA’s inability to legally challenge demolition orders due to the legal department’s overwhelming workload since the aggression on the Gaza Strip last October,’ he elucidated.
Regarding Area B, Muqadi noted that houses have already been demolished ‘several times’ in the vicinity of Ramallah and Jenin.
To establish legal pretexts for demolitions, Israeli authorities occasionally claim that buildings are situated too close to Israeli security zones, often surrounding illegal settlements.
‘An example of this occurred in the village of Deir Qadis, west of Ramallah, where two houses overlooking the Modi’in settlement were demolished, despite being located in Area B and possessing proper licences,’ Muqadi cited.
With Israel’s announcement of large-scale land confiscations and the government’s transfer of authority over parts of occupied territory from military to civilian control, effectively initiating a de jure annexation process, it is probable that home demolitions will escalate in the coming months.
