Days Of Palestine – Hebron

Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday demolished two Palestinian residential structures in the southern West Bank district of Hebron.

Coordinator of the Anti-Wall and Settlement Committees Rateb Jabour said that Israeli forces escorted a bulldozer into Maghayer al-'Abeed area near Masafer Yatta, where the heavy machinery demolished a room belonging to Ibrahim Shehadeh.

On December 5, four residential structures were torn down in the same area.

Meanwhile, Jabour confirmed that residential room was also torn down in As-Samu', a town located to the south of Hebron.

The owner of the demolished structure was identified as Khader Ismail al-Hawamdeh.

Masafer Yatta is a collection of almost 19 hamlets which rely heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood.

Located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control, the area has been subjected to repeated Israeli violations by settlers and soldiers targeting their main source of living – livestock.

It has been designated as a closed Israeli military zone for training since 1980s and accordingly referred to as Firing Zone 918.

Israeli violations against the area include demolition of animal barns, homes and residential structures. Issuance of construction permits by Israel to local Palestinians in the area is non-existent.

While Israel refuses to permit virtually any Palestinian structure in Area C, it much more easily gives the estimated 550,000 Jewish Israeli settlers there building permits and provides them with roads, electricity, water and sewage systems that remain inaccessible to many neighboring Palestinians.