Decline in West Bank demolitions and displacements during September

Concerns remain over Palestinian herding communities at risk of forcible transfer

The number of demolitions fell in September 2015 compared with August, which had the highest number of structures demolished (145) by the Israeli authorities in five years. A total of 13 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished for lack of an Israeli-issued building permit, displacing nine people (including five children).

Between January and September 2015, a total of 462 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished, nearly the same as the equivalent period in 2014. The number of people displaced as a result of demolitions (525) fell by 45 per cent compared with 2014. This reflects the increased targeting in 2015 of livelihood-related structures (e.g. animal shelters, storage rooms, water cisterns, commercial stands) rather than residential structures.

Eleven of the demolished structures were in Area C, including three commercial structures in Hizma (Jerusalem), one commercial structure in Khallet Sakariya (Bethlehem), and five agricultural and two residential structures in East Tayba Bedouin community (Ramallah). All of those displaced during September resided in this community, which is one of 46 communities in the central West Bank at risk of forcible transfer under an official Israeli “relocation” plan.

In a related move, in September the Israeli Civil Administration advanced the approval of building permits for 35 housing units in one of the relocation sites (Al Jabal West, east of Jerusalem), although the identity of the recipients of such permits and the responsibility for the actual construction remain unclear.

No demolitions of internationally-funded structures took place this month, but 18 structures funded by international donors and provided as humanitarian assistance to three communities in southern Hebron received demolition or stop-work orders. Two of these communities (Halawa and Jinba) are at risk of forcible transfer due to their location in an area designated by the Israeli authorities as a “firing zone” for military training. They are among 12 at-risk communities in this firing zone that are the subject of longstanding litigation at the Israeli High Court of Justice. In the third community, Mantiqat Shi’b al Butum, which is adjacent to the firing zone, a donor-funded school serving 40 students was issued a stop-work order in September. Altogether, the structures targeted this month are worth more than €82,000.

Latest Developments

The Israeli authorities resumed a policy of punitive demolition of homes of Palestinians implicated in attacks against Israeli civilians in October, resulting in several demolitions in East Jerusalem and Hebron. This issue will be addressed in more detail in the November issue of the Humanitarian Bulletin.