West Bank demolitions and displacement – August 2015 update

Five-year high in West Bank demolitions by Israeli Civil Administration

August 2015 registered the highest number of structures demolished by the Israeli authorities in a single month in five years (since July 2010). Overall, a total of 145 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished in 37 residential areas, including 32 in Area C, four in East Jerusalem, and one in Area A. Over 200 people were displaced and more than 400 otherwise affected. The number of people displaced in August was roughly 360 per cent higher than the monthly average from January – July 2015 (approx. 45 persons displaced per month).

The total number of structures demolished since the beginning of 2015 increased by almost 12 per cent in comparison with the equivalent period in 2014. However, despite the increase in the number demolished structures, overall from January – August 2015, the number of people that were displaced due to demolitions actually decreased by almost 37 per cent in comparison with the equivalent period in 2014.

Of the 145 structures demolished this month, 33 were residential, 22 were partially built or uninhabited residences, 14 were water and sanitation facilities, 60 were used for agriculture and other livelihoods needs, and four were infrastructure-related structures. Close to 50 per cent of all demolitions, and almost seventy per cent of displacements were in six Bedouin communities in the central West Bank, which are at risk of forcible transfer due to a “relocation” plan advanced by the Israeli authorities. The proposed locations raise serious humanitarian concerns: availability of grazing land is limited, and the relocation would undermine the traditional livelihoods and culture of the communities, as was the case for 150 Bedouin families who were relocated from this area in the late 1990s. One of the sites is also located next to a refuse dump site, raising serious health concerns.

Ten of the structures demolished this month, all of them in Area C, were internationally- funded, including one animal shelters in Al Khader (Bethlehem), three tents in Fasayil Al Wusta (Jericho), two tents in Az Zaayyem (Jericho), and four latrines in Wadi Sneysel (Jerusalem).

On 11 August, the Head of COGAT gave a briefing to the Knesset’s Defense Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria Affairs. Some committee members associated with the settler movement raised allegations of COGAT’s “lack of law enforcement” against Palestinian illegal construction in Area C and international funding of this construction.

Also this month, a two-storey building located in Area A was destroyed by Israeli forces during a search and arrest operation in Jenin refugee camp. The building was home to one of the targets of the operation, who is allegedly a member of an armed faction. Four people were displaced, including two children, and an adjacent home was also damaged. While the destruction of structures where suspects take refuge and refuse to surrender is part of a formal military procedure (dubbed “pressure cooker”), in this instance the wanted man was not present. From January 2014 - August 2015, Israeli forces destroyed thirteen homes in military operations in the West Bank.