Israeli forces demolish, seizes 44 Palestinian buildings in two weeks

Occupying Israeli forces demolished and seized dozens of structures in Area C of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in the space of just two weeks, according to the United Nations.

At least 44 Palestinian structures were confiscated or demolished between the period of 30 August and 12 September under the pretext of not having Israeli permits, a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory revealed.

Human rights organisations have released numerous reports over the years showing that Israeli authorities seldom issue building permits to Palestinian residents despite the extremely overcrowded living conditions in occupied Jerusalem.

Nine structures were torn down in East Jerusalem, including five of which Israel forced the Palestinian owners to destroy themselves or face paying extortionate demolition fines.

The other 35 structures were in Area C, including 19 that were taken away from Palestinian owners without warning. 

At the start of the year, four Palestinian structures were seized every two weeks on average, making way for Israeli land grabs.

Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and has built settlements across the area in violation of international law.

Around 700,000 Jewish settlers now live there. The Palestinians want a future state with East Jerusalem as its capital and see the settlements as the biggest obstacle to peace. Most countries consider the settlements to be illegal.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognised by the international community and considers the entire city as its capital.

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three zones: Area A, Area B, and Area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B's administration is controlled by the PA, with Israel controlling security. Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.

Palestinian residents in the city face systematic discrimination, especially when it comes to urban planning, making it extremely difficult for them to build new homes or expand existing ones.