OCHA: ‘Israel’ demolished or seized 26 Palestinian-owned structures in two weeks
In its biweekly report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories (OCHA) said that the Israeli occupation authorities in the period between 2 and 15 March demolished or seized 26 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, displacing 42 people, of whom 24 were children, and otherwise affecting about 120.
Just released our Protection of Civilians report, covering two weeks in the occupied #Palestinian territory: https://t.co/iruf474PYD pic.twitter.com/kkGqs7OCNl
— OCHA oPt (Palestine) (@ochaopt) March 19, 2021
Seventeen of the structures, and all of the displaced people, were recorded in Area C.
Two buildings were demolished in Ein Shibli village (Nablus), displacing 17 people, on the basis of Military Order 1797, which allows for demolitions within 96 hours of the issuance of a ‘removal order.’
The remaining displacement resulted from the demolition of four homes in At Tuwani and Khallet Athaba’ communities in Hebron, and in Beit Jala in Bethlehem.
The livelihood of 20 people was affected by the demolition of a vegetable stall near Qalqiliya city, while 16 were affected by the demolition of two uninhabited houses and the confiscation of one metal container in Isteih (Jericho).
Two of the nine structures targeted in East Jerusalem were demolished by its owner.
In February, Israeli occupation authorities demolished, forced people to demolish, or seized 153 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the fourth-highest monthly total recorded, since UN began systematically documenting this practice in 2009.
It also said that Sixty-two Palestinians, including nine children, were injured by Israeli occupation forces across the occupied West Bank.
Forty-one of them were injured in clashes in five villages in the Nablus governorate, which mainly involved stone-throwing by Palestinians and firing of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets by Israeli forces.
Sixteen people were injured in other clashes that erupted during four search-and-arrest operations in Al Bireh city (Ramallah) and in the refugee camps of Ad Duheisha (Bethlehem), Al Fawwar (Hebron) and Al Am’ari (Ramallah).
The remaining injuries took place in the Bethlehem, Qalqiliya and Jerusalem governorates, involving throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli-plated vehicles, a weekly protest and ad-hoc clashes.
Overall, 35 Palestinians were treated for tear gas inhalation, nine were shot by live bullets, 12 by rubber bullets, and six were physically assaulted. In addition, a Palestinian shepherd sustained injuries when unexploded ordnance that he was handling detonated.
