Home demolitions are one of the most devastating and frequent hardships Palestinians face, especially in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to UN figures Israel is demolishing more Palestinian homes now than ever.
Israel´s home demolitions are illegal under international law. The 53rd article of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that an occupying power is prohibited from destroying any property belonging to individuals, organisations or the state. Despite this, Israel has managed to demolish more than 48,000 Palestinian homes and structures since the occupation and military control started in 1967. This figure is predicted to be much higher due to multiple demolitions of the same housing unit being counted as one demolition.
Hundreds of these structures were funded by international donors for humanitarian assistance, including the European Union. Within the first three months of 2016, over 150 EU-funded homes and structures were demolished by Israel in the West Bank.
Clearly, no structures owned by Palestinians are safe from Israeli bulldozers.
On April 7th of this year, the Israeli army left 124 Palestinians homeless in less than 24 hours after demolishing a total of 54 structures, according to the UNOCHA. In the span of a few hours, Palestinians watched their homes and livelihoods turn to rubble and dust.
Why does Israel demolish Palestinian homes? According to the Israeli army who carries out the demolitions, the Palestinian structures were not approved. That might sound reasonable. However, UN figures show that only 1.5% of requests for Palestinian building permits were approved between 2010 and 2014. This leaves Palestinians with no other choice than to take the risk of building their homes without permits and hoping it does not get demolished.
Israel has also stated that the home demolitions are carried out as a punishment for terrorism. If that is their second main reason, then why were only 2% of the 27,000 homes demolished due to ´´terrorism and security reasons´´? Does this not also raise questions on the use of collective punishment against the Palestinian population?
B´tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, believes that Palestinian homes are demolished for the purpose of settlement expansion. Just a few weeks ago, Israel announced its plan to build 500 new homes for Jewish settlers in occupied East Jerusalem. There are already over 200,000 Israeli settlers living in East Jerusalem.
According to Netanyahu, Israel´s prime minister, these settlements are no obstacle to a potential peace between Israel and Palestine.
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions stated that Israel demolishes Palestinian homes for two reasons: firstly, to make Palestinians leave the country. And secondly, to make them leave their land in area C and move to area A and B of the West Bank, which are mainly under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
The goal for Israel is to build more illegal settlements in area C, which is why they need the Palestinians to leave their land. This will enable them to have a Jewish majority, which has been claimed by some to be one of the reasons behind the demolitions.
Approximately 300,000 Palestinians live in area C which is under full Israeli military, security and administrative control. Since area C is controlled by Israel, the Israeli army are free to demolish Palestinian homes without anyone stopping them.
Unfortunately, Israel has succeeded in driving Palestinians off their land in area C. Only 10% of all Palestinians living in The West Bank now live in Area C.
Israel has made life so unbearable for Palestinians that around 300,000 Palestinians have left the West Bank and Jerusalem over the past 10 years. As many Palestinians have left their land; the ones remaining are weakened and more vulnerable to Israel's oppressive tactics of forced transfer.
As said by Alaa Tartir, the programme director of Al-Shabaka Palestinian Policy Network; "Territorial expansion and annexation remain at the core of the Zionist project and demolishing houses is one of the tools it uses. With every house Israel demolishes, peace becomes more elusive and unattainable."
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(The rubble of a Palestinian home in the West Bank after it was demolished by the Israeli army on August 9th 2016, despite bearing the logo of the European Union, which funded the structure. Martin Barzilai / ActiveStills)[/caption]
