WEST BANK: Seventy homes set to be knocked down by Israeli authorities in occupied City of Jericho

Record ID: 563645

  • Title: WEST BANK: Seventy homes set to be knocked down by Israeli authorities in occupied City of Jericho
  • Date: 17th January 2012
  • Summary: JERICHO, WEST BANK (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MECHANICAL DIGGERS KNOCKING DOWN VILLAS IN AL-DUYUK NEIGHBOURHOOD SOLDIERS IN AREA MECHANICAL EXCAVATOR DEMOLISHING BUILDING SOLDIERS SPEAKING TO RESIDENTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT, MAJED BLAYAT, SAYING: "These lands have been owned by residents of al-Duyuk neighbourhood for dozens of years, even more than 50 to 55 years. We inherited these lands from our grandparents. Around seven a.m. they posted demolition orders on 13 to 14 houses." VARIOUS OF DEMOLITION UNDERWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAYOR OF JERICHO, HASAN SALEH, SAYING: "This area doesn't impact on anything -- there is no Israeli presence in this area. This land is part of Jericho's municipality; so it is natural that there is normal expansion under the supervision of the municipality. The (Israeli) occupying authorities are trying to prevent us from building on the city municipality borders." CHILDREN CLAMBERING OVER DEMOLISHED BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 1st February 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank, West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVASM28C1KNJ4EFPYFNA7GUXVD4
  • Story Text: Seventy homes are set to be knocked down by Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank City of Jericho.
    The occupying Israeli Civil Administration has issued demolition orders to the houses' owners.
    Last week Israeli bulldozers demolished four large homes in the ancient city.
    A resident told Reuters Television about the latest move, in the al-Duyuk neighbourhood on the outskirts of Jericho.
    "These lands have been owned by residents of al-Duyuk neighbourhood for dozens of years, even more than 50 to 55 years. We inherited these lands from our grandparents. Around seven a.m. they posted demolition orders on 13 to 14 houses," Majed Blayat said.
    Israeli authorities say that the neighbourhood is illegally constructed, lying as it does in "area C", the 60 percent of the West bank where Israel exercises total control.
    Israel said development in the al-Duyuk neighbourhood endangered a nearby archaeological site and the homes were constructed without permits.
    A spokesman for COGAT -- a unit within the Israeli defence ministry which administers the West Bank -- Guy Inbar, said in a statement to Reuters: "The houses in question are summer homes built by Palestinians from East Jerusalem and other West Bank towns. They were built without permits and were endangering the near by archaeological site of Armonot ha-Hashmonaim (the Palaces of the Hasmoneans)."
    He added, "In accordance with regulations, owners were given warnings, stop-work orders and demolition orders and also had the right to appear in a hearing in front of the supervision committee which they did not exhaust."
    Jericho's mayor said the homes had no negative impact on the surrounding area and had been built under the supervision of the local authorities.
    "This area doesn't impact on anything -- there is no Israeli presence in this area. This land is part of Jericho's municipality; so it is natural that there is normal expansion under the supervision of the municipality. The (Israeli) occupying authorities are trying to prevent us from building on the city municipality borders," Hasan Saleh said.
    Home demolition is just one of the issues Palestinians living under Israeli control in the West Bank face.
    There are also restrictions that prevent construction and free movement. The expansion of Jewish settlements has eaten up land and Palestinians, along with their property, are increasingly the target of settler violence.
    Al-Duyuk resident Majed Atouneh, who owns a home due to be levelled, said it was the first time he had received a demolition order.
    "We bought this land, the dunam (1,000 square metres) cost in between 20-30 thousand dollars. They came and said that it is 'Area C' and Palestinians are not allowed to build in it and it is controlled by Israel. They waited for us, until we built around 120 to 130 houses. A month ago they demolished four homes; three days ago they demolished another three homes. They distributed demolition orders. This is the order," Atouneh said, holding the paper up to the camera.
    Defined by interim peace agreements concluded between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s, "area C" is where all of Israel's West Bank settlements are located.
    Israel displaced more than 1,000 Palestinians living in "area C" during 2011, twice that of the previous year and the highest number since 2005, a coalition of international rights groups has reported.
    Palestinians say the displacements are part of a system of Israeli restrictions designed to curb their development while allowing the settlements to grow.
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