LONDON: Israeli forces demolished 20 Palestinian homes in the town of Barta’a, located near Jenin town in the northern occupied West Bank, for building without permits.
Israeli bulldozers arrived at Barta’a on Monday to carry out a court-ordered demolition that was ruled yesterday. Only eight families were able to remove their belongings before the demolitions, while the rest refused to evacuate their possessions, according to the Palestine News Agency.
Residents protested the demolitions by climbing onto the rooftops of the homes before being removed by Israeli forces. About 100 people face displacement and homelessness as a result of the demolitions, the report added.
The Israeli army launched a military campaign in Jenin and its refugee camp in January last year, resulting in the displacement of more than 20,000 people and the destruction of 600 homes, mostly in the Jenin refugee camp.
Since the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem began in 1967, Israel has implemented a policy of demolitions designed to prevent the merging of Palestinian towns into larger cities, and to enable the establishment of settlements or military sites between them.
The Israeli government faces charges of war crimes and genocide in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in cases at the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
