In egregious violation of international humanitarian law and human rights conventions that ensure everyone has the right to housing and a decent life, Israel continues its systematic violations against the Palestinian people.
According to the Israeli claims, Israeli occupation forces stormed the village of Shuyukh al-Arroub, north of Hebron, on Monday, and destroyed the seven-person home of citizen Muhammad Haroun Halayqa for being allegedly built without Israeli permit.
Ibrahim Halayqa, the head of the village council for Shuyukh al-Arroub, clarified that the house had previously received a notice to cease construction four months prior.
The occupation forces attacked the villagers during the demolition process, and one citizen was shot in the thigh with live ammunition.
This incident occurred just one month after notices to demolish additional homes were delivered and another house in the neighbourhood was demolished.
A Jerusalemite being forced to destroy his house
In a related case, Hisham Aqil, a resident of the Al-Bustan neighbourhood in the Jerusalemite town of Silwan, was compelled by the Israeli occupation authorities to demolish his house on his own for being built without Israeli permit
According to Aqil, one of his relatives and his family of four had lived in the house for the previous eleven years.
In order to avoid the high costs that the occupation municipality would impose if its mechanisms performed the demolition, the decision was made to self-demolish.
Ongoing transgressions amid impunity
The occupation’s policy of forcing Palestinians off their lands in an effort to impose a new demographic reality that supports settlement expansion plans is reflected in these capricious actions.
Additionally, these violations go against Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has the right to own their property and cannot have it taken away from them without cause.
In addition to violating international laws and United Nations resolutions that forbid the occupying power from altering the demographic composition or seizing private property, the policies of demolition and forced displacement pose a serious threat to the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and the West Bank. As a result, it is necessary to call on the international community and human rights organisations to take responsibility and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for its ongoing violations in order to ensure justice and the protection of Palestinians’ fundamental rights.
