Palestine warns against ‘condoning’ Israeli violations, home demolitions

RAMALLAH, Palestine/ISTANBUL

Palestine urged the international community not to “condone” Israeli violations against Palestinians and escalating home demolitions in the occupied West Bank.

“We warn the international community against treating violations and crimes committed by the occupation and illegal settlers as normal things, especially home demolitions,” the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli army demolished eight Palestinian homes and two sheds in the West Bank on Wednesday, in the latest wave of home demolitions in the occupied territory.

“We continue our communications with the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council against these illegal measures,” the ministry said.

It called on the international community “to swiftly implement international law on the situation in occupied Palestine."

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli authorities demolished 588 Palestinian structures in the first half of this year, affecting 843 people, including 411 children.

During the same period, 556 demolition orders were issued, including 322 for inhabited homes and 151 for agricultural structures.

Israel widely uses the pretext of a lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions – Area A, B, and C.

Area C is under Israel’s administrative and security control until a final status agreement is reached with the Palestinians.

Since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, at least 993 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.