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Israel demolishes homes of 1,177 Palestinians in 2014: UN

Monday, 02 February 2015 12:07 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 02 February 2015 12:07 AM ]

Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian house in the occupied West Bank. (file photo)

The United Nations says Israeli forces have demolished the homes of 1,177 Palestinians in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the occupied West Bank in 2014.

Last year, Israeli troops destroyed the houses of 969 Palestinian in the West Bank and 208 in East al-Quds, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), according to a Sunday report by Israeli daily Haaretz.

“In 2014, according to OCHA figures, the Israeli authorities destroyed 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C (in the West Bank) and East Jerusalem, displacing 1,177 people -- the highest level of displacement in the West Bank since the OCHA began systematically monitoring the issue in 2008,” the OCHA said in the report.

“The planning policies applied by Israel in Area C and East Jerusalem discriminate against Palestinians,” the report added.

More demolitions in 2015

James W. Rawley, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, voiced concerns over Israel’s recent spate of demolitions in the West Bank and East al-Quds on January 23.

“In the past three days, 77 Palestinians, over half of them children, have been made homeless,” Rawley said.

“Some of the demolished structures were provided by the international community to support vulnerable families. Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement run counter to Israel’s obligations under international law,” he added.

According to the OCHA report, some 110 Palestinians, almost half of them children, lost their homes at the height of the winter since the beginning of this year.

Israeli forces razed 41 Palestinian structures between January 19 and January 26, far higher than the weekly average of nine demolitions per week in the last year, the report added.

This is while according to international law, the destruction of private or public property in occupied territories is prohibited.

MSM/NT

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