UN: razing of W Bank homes rises ‘alarmingly’

AFP/Ramallah
Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank rose “alarmingly” in the first half of 2011, in some cases threatening entire communities, a UN agency said yesterday.
The UN Relief and Works Agency, which looks after Palestinian refugees, said 356 structures had been demolished in the first six months of this year, compared with 431 for the whole of 2010.
And the agency said 700 people had been displaced by the demolitions in the first six months of 2011, compared with 594 in the whole of 2010.
“Demolitions by the Israeli authorities in the West Bank have escalated alarmingly,” said Unrwa spokesman Chris Gunness.
“Most demolitions have targeted already vulnerable Bedouin and herding communities,” he said. “In many cases, demolition orders have been issued to virtually the whole community, leaving these communities facing a real danger of complete destruction.”
The demolitions are taking place in Area C, the 60% of the West Bank that is designated as under full Israeli control, in which Israel has designated just 1% of land for Palestinian development, Unrwa said.
“This means that it is virtually impossible for a Palestinian to obtain a permit for construction, while Israeli settlements receive preferential treatment in the allocation of water and land, and approval of development plans,” Gunness said.
Israel says its demolitions of homes are based only on whether the structures in question have the appropriate permits.
But the agency said the demolitions seemed to be concentrated in areas “targeted for settlement expansion.”
“Most disturbing of all is the clear link we now see between settlement expansion and demolitions and the forced displacements that result,” Gunness said.
Unrwa called on the Israeli government to immediately halt demolitions of Palestinian homes “until Palestinians have access to a fair and non-discriminatory zoning and planning regime.”
lThe European Union yesterday urged Israel to carry out an inquiry into the killing of two Palestinians by Israeli soldiers in the Qalandiya refugee camp in the West Bank.
“The European Union is saddened and concerned by the killing,” said a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
“We call on the Israeli authorities to exercise restraint and thoroughly investigate the incident,” added spokesman Michael Mann.
UN Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Robert Serry also urged Israel to investigate.
The Israeli army said an inquiry was already under way.
“The military police has opened an investigation regarding the issue, and upon its conclusion will pass its findings to the military advocate general for review,” it said in a written response to an AFP query.
The incident took place after soldiers entered the camp before dawn on Monday and clashes broke out, Palestinian officials said.
“Residents of Qalandiya camp were preparing themselves for the first day of Ramadan and going to the dawn prayers, when they were met by Israeli forces which violently stormed the camp to conduct illegal arrests and kidnapping of residents,” the Palestinian Government Media Centre said.
Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina condemned the killings in a statement to government news agency Wafa, calling them “an Israeli attempt to escalate the situation before September.”
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