Settlement Resistance Commission: Israel issued 7,783 demolition orders and removal of structures since 2015

RAMALLAH: The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said that “the occupation authorities have issued 7,783 orders since 2015 to demolish and remove Palestinian buildings and facilities in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in an effort to stop Palestinian construction, expansion and natural growth in the Palestinian territories.

The commission said, in a statement, that most of these notices were concentrated in the Hebron governorate with 2,110 notices, followed by the Bethlehem governorate with 1,101 notices, then the Ramallah governorate with 887 notices, and the Salfit governorate with 720 notices.

The head of the commission, Moayad Shaaban, said that the occupation authorities use the demolition orders as a means to prevent Palestinian development and urban expansion, specifically in areas classified as C, which are under full Israeli military control, by preventing the Palestinians from preparing structural plans for their villages, and not approve them if they were prepared and submitted to th
e Israeli military government for approval.

He said Israel wants to use this area, which represents 61% of the total area of the occupied West Bank, to build settlements and as a future strategic geographical reserve.

Shaaban added that the year 2023 recorded a highest number of notifications submitted to local citizens, as the number of these notifications in all the governorates of the West Bank, including Jerusalem, reached a total of 1,333 notifications, a significant increase compared to previous years,

Meanwhile, the number of notifications delivered in 2022 reached a total of 1,220, compared to 875 in 2021.

He pointed out that the new record is an indication of new policies and new directions by the occupation authorities in dealing with Palestinian construction and the natural growth of Palestinian villages and towns.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA