NOVANEWS
UNRWA calls for accountability and an end to discriminatory practices
Jerusalem
Statement by UNRWA spokesperson, Chris Gunness
A boy from the Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahmar stands in the yard of his demolition-threatened school. |
Demolitions by the Israeli authorities in the West Bank have escalated alarmingly. Figures released today by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) show that 700 people were displaced in the first six months of 2011 (excluding July), compared with 594 in the whole of 2010.
UNRWA is concerned that 15 per cent of those displaced are Palestine refugees. The vast majority of demolitions have been carried out in Area C, the 60 per cent of the West Bank that is under full Israeli control for security, planning and building.
June and July saw a sharp increase in the number of demolitions of Palestinian homes and infrastructure, according to the latest UNRWA figures. In June alone 132 structures were demolished. This is more than the total for the previous three months. In June and July, 605 Palestinians were displaced or affected by demolitions, more than half of whom are children.
Under a planning system condemned as discriminatory by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, Israeli authorities have allocated only 1 per cent of Area C for Palestinian development. 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.
Most demolitions have targeted already vulnerable Bedouin and herding communities. In many cases, demolition orders have been issued to virtually the whole community, leaving these communities facing a real danger of complete destruction. UNRWA is particularly concerned about the situation of about 20 Bedouin communities living in the Maale Adumim settlement area in the periphery of Jerusalem. The vast majority are refugees and they recently faced a new wave of demolition orders, stop-building orders, property confiscations, settler harassment and multiple warnings of imminent eviction by the Israeli Civil Administration. They are now left with the risk of losing homes and means of livelihood once again.
A young Bedouin looks on as her family packs up all their belongings and moves from their home of 35 years following settler attacks. |