- Title: Israel razes most of Palestinian Bedouin village in West Bank on US election day
- Date: 5th November 2020
- Summary: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK (NOVEMBER 5, 2020) (REUTERS) BEDOUIN WOMAN AND CHILD WALKING TOY ON GROUND BEDOUIN BOY STANDING VARIOUS OF DESTROYED TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF BEDOUIN VILLAGE, YOUSEF ABU AWAD, SAYING: "They took advantage of the U.S elections for their benefit so that they can gain time, because the U.S president is supporting them in everything so they thought that whatever they do while he is in office, he has their back." DESTROYED TENTS ROOSTER NEAR DESTROYED TENT TENT DONATED BY PALESTINIAN AID GROUP CLOTHES HUNG ON A LINE TO DRY BESIDE TENT IN VILLAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF BEDOUIN VILLAGE, YOUSEF ABU AWAD, SAYING: "Each family consists of 10 to 15 members, they were left exposed under the rain. Their animal wealth is their main source of income such as small sheep and they too are exposed to rain which will cause many of them to die." BEDOUIN MAN FIXING DESTROYED TENT DONKEYS EATING MEN EXAMINING DESTROYED STRUCTURES TENT / SHEEP SHEEP (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VILLAGE RESIDENT, MAHMOUD BSHARAT, SAYING: "The occupation army raided upper Humsah village and destroyed the residential establishment and animal wealth in this area which affected more than 11 families in this place." VARIOUS OF VIEW OF ISRAELI SETTLEMENT NEAR VILLAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VILLAGE RESIDENT, MAHMOUD BSHARAT, SAYING: "Israel accelerated the demolition in the Jordan Valley areas since the world is busy with the U.S elections, Israel took advantage of this time, especially to destroy and to displace the residents in the Jordan Valley." VIEW OF DESTROYED STRUCTURE VARIOUS VIEWS OF VILLAGE
- Embargoed: 19th November 2020 14:21
- Keywords: Bedouins Demolition Israel Jordan Valley Palestinians West Bank
- Location: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK
- City: JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001D3AJM1H
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Israel has demolished most of a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, displacing 73 Palestinians - including 41 children - in the largest such demolition in years, residents and a United Nations official said.
Tented homes, animal shelters, latrines and solar panels were among the structures destroyed in the village of Khirbet Humsah on Tuesday (November 3), according to the U.N. official.
Israel's military liaison agency with the Palestinians, COGAT, confirmed that a demolition had been carried out against what it said were illegal structures.
By Thursday morning the residents had already moved back to the site, using tents donated by Palestinian aid groups, according to a Reuters witness.
The remains of the demolished village lay across the hillsides, with just two of the original homes still standing some distance from the others.
There are roughly 430,000 Israeli settlers who live alongside three million Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel captured in a 1967 war.
COGAT on Wednesday issued a statement saying that an "enforcement activity" had been carried out by Israeli forces "against 7 tents and 8 pens which were illegally constructed, in a firing range located in the Jordan Valley."
Israel often cites a lack of building permits in demolishing Palestinian structures in the West Bank.
United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said that relief agencies had visited Khirbet Humsah and recorded 76 demolished structures.
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said the structures included 18 tents and sheds.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and residents accused Israel of timing the demolition for election day in the United States, when the world was distracted.
A COGAT spokesman on Thursday had no immediate comment on Shtayyeh's claim. But its written statement on Wednesday said: "The enforcement was carried out in accordance with the authorities and procedures, and subject to operational considerations."
Some 689 structures have been demolished across the West Bank and East Jerusalem so far this year, leaving 869 Palestinians homeless, according to the United Nations.
(Production: Adel Abu Nemeh, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh, Suheir Sheikh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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