Israel demolishes dozens of homes and structures in Jordan Valley, the main livelihood of hundreds of families

Ma’an – Israeli forces demolished dozens of homes and structures in two villages in the Jordan Valley Thursday, reports said.

Soldiers arrived with bulldozers in Khirbet Atuf and Khirbet Ar-Ras Al-Ahmar, in the Tubas municipality, and destroyed houses and sheep structures under the pretext the areas are closed military zones, village representative Abdallah Bisharat said.

Bisharat affirmed that “these lands are registered under the names of the Palestinians and are owned by them. These are agricultural and pastoral lands that are the main livelihood of hundreds of families,” adding that the demolitions bring “total destruction” to locals.

The Israeli Civil Administration did not answer calls seeking comment.

Last month, settlers established an illegal outpost in the area, following which military guards told locals that they would no longer be permitted to get drinking water from a well nearby the outpost. "We were told to get water from the other villages and collect it in tanks," Bisharat said.

The villages are in “Area C,” under zoning regulations established in the 1994 Oslo Accords. The area encompasses 60 percent of the West Bank, and is under full Israeli civil and military control.

Commenting on the host of restrictions imposed by Israel, Amnesty International deputy director Philip Luther said, “The Israeli authorities are putting Palestinians in an impossible situation. Whatever choice they make, they face homelessness.”

Luther added, "Demolition and eviction orders do not just destroy people's homes. They also take away their possessions and their hopes for a secure future," in a report issued 16 June.

Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, prohibits the destruction of property by an occupying power unless it is justified by military necessity.

Villlagers appealed to President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and international organizations to help them stop the demolitions.