‘Israel’ built 13 new outposts and demolished 686 houses in 2019
Ramallah (QNN)- The head of the committee against the Wall and settlements Waleed Assaf said on Sunday that the occupation state created 13 new settlement outposts and demolished 686 Palestinian houses and structures in 2019.
Assaf stated during a press conference that the occupation state has been focusing on occupied Jerusalem, aiming at isolating it and dividing the Al Aqsa mosque. It also works on closing all the roads to the holy city.
He also stated that 300 out of 686 demolitions took place in Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities carried out the largest demolition operation in Wadi Hummus, when it demolished 82 houses in the area and 22 others in Shufat refugee camp all at once.
Assaf revealed that the Israeli demolition policy has been changed from demolishing single houses to the demolition of entire villages. The villages of Susia, Khan Al Ahmar, Kherbet Makhoul, Ein Hilweh, Em Al Jemal, Al Farisiyyeh, and Jabal Al Baba were all ordered to be demolished over the last year.
“Thanks to the policy of our government that we succeeded to prevent the demolition of the villages and the displacement of their residents in 2019”, Assaf said. “It was rushing to rebuild any demolished structure within a mechanism that was designed to quickly meet the Palestinians’ demands.”
Assaf also stated that other demolitions were carried out in Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus. Thee Israeli military administration issued 486 new demolition orders, which could be applied any time this year.
As for the Jordan valley annexation, Assaf confirmed that it is an old plan, which dates back to 1967 and includes the annexation of one million and 260,000 dunums (1263 square km).
