ZIO=NAZI RAZING OF PALESTINIAN HOMES By SHOAHOctober 13, 2010Middle East NOVANEWS Israel: New Peak in Razing of Palestinian Homes Discriminatory Israeli Policies Result in Demolished Village Israeli authorities razed 141 Palestinian homes and other buildings in July, the largest number in any month since at least 2005. Yet Israel continues to support and subsidize nearby Jewish settlements. By supporting settlements on occupied territory and by erasing longstanding Palestinian communities next door, Israel has flouted international law. In one example, Israeli military authorities demolished the West Ban farming community of Al Farisiye, displacing more than 100 people, nearly half of them children. After officials forcibly removed Palestinian residents from their homes, the bulldozers destroyed 26 residential structures, 24 animal pens, 8 traditional underground ovens, and 12 outhouses and water tanks. The authorities that ordered the evacuation stressed the fact that Al Farisiye was in a “closed military zone”–it was classified as such in the 60s. But an Israeli settlement situated less than 1 kilometer away was never placed in the military zone. In fact, settlers receive substantial subsidies for a range of activities, including buying land, developing agriculture and tourism, and educating their children. In most cases of demolitions, Israeli authorities stated that Palestinian buildings were destroyed due to the lack of an Israeli building permit, which is nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. Ultimately, the home demolitions are a result of policies that discriminate between the way Israeli authorities treat Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the same area.
