Latest news with #FiringZone918
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
UN: Israel forcing West Bank Palestinians from homes in systematic displacement drive
DaysofPal – United Nations agencies have sounded the alarm over a sharp escalation in Israeli measures aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, warning that such actions may amount to war crimes under international law. In its latest situation report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed that Israeli military authorities have issued notices threatening to demolish every structure in 13 Palestinian communities in Masafer Yatta, a rural area in the South Hebron Hills designated by Israel as 'Firing Zone 918.' If carried out, the demolitions would forcibly displace at least 1,200 Palestinians, including more than 500 children. 'These communities are at imminent risk of forced displacement,' OCHA warned. The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory echoed this assessment, stating that Israeli authorities are 'accelerating measures aimed at forcibly displacing large numbers of Palestinians from long-established towns and communities.' It highlighted a June 18 decision by the Planning Subcommittee of Israel's Civil Administration to reject all Palestinian building permit requests in Masafer Yatta, using the pretext that the land is required for military training. 'The latest decision by the Israeli Civil Administration paves the way for the Israeli army to demolish existing structures and buildings in the area and expel nearly 1,200 Palestinians who have lived there for decades,' the Human Rights Office said. 'This displacement constitutes forced deportation and is a war crime and could amount to a crime against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.' The UN also noted that Israeli settlers from illegal outposts within the same 'firing zone', yet not subject to eviction orders, have escalated their daily attacks on Palestinians, including women, children, and the elderly, as part of efforts to coerce residents into leaving. Between October 7, 2023, and May 31, 2025, OCHA reported that 6,463 Palestinians were forcibly displaced due to Israeli demolitions. An additional 2,200 were displaced by settler violence and movement restrictions. These figures do not include the approximately 40,000 Palestinians driven from refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem amid intensified Israeli military operations since January 2025. The report also revealed that, in just ten days from June 13 to 23, Israeli soldiers temporarily took over 240 Palestinian homes, converting them into military outposts or interrogation centers. 'The owners were either forcibly evicted or detained,' OCHA stated. Meanwhile, in Tulkarem and the Nur Shams refugee camps, nearly 100 structures—mostly residential homes—were demolished. In East Jerusalem, nearly 320 residents across three communities face imminent eviction or demolition. East Jerusalem Evictions and Expanding Settlements The UN Human Rights Office further highlighted a pattern of discriminatory evictions in East Jerusalem. On June 16 and 22, Israel's Supreme Court upheld the eviction of five Palestinian families, comprising 37 individuals, from the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan. The evictions were based on Israeli laws that permit Jewish claims to pre-1948 properties while denying Palestinians similar legal recourse. 'These evictions are part of a systematic campaign by the Israeli state and settler organizations targeting Palestinian neighborhoods to seize Palestinian homes and expand Jewish settlements,' the Human Rights Office said. In another case, the Israel Land Authority issued eviction orders on June 11 targeting homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Um Tuba, affecting 150 Palestinians. The land is claimed by the Jewish National Fund under an Israeli land registration process. The Human Rights Office cited a June 10 report indicating that the Jerusalem Municipality had issued a demolition order for the entire village of Al-Nu'man near Bethlehem, home to 150 Palestinians. The village, encircled by the separation wall and absorbed into Jerusalem's municipal boundaries, has been effectively cut off from both the city and the rest of the West Bank. Most residents have been denied Jerusalem ID cards, leaving them without access to essential services. 'These demolition orders appear to be a further step in Israel's efforts to create a coercive environment that pushes Palestinians to leave and consolidates the annexation of land,' the UN office concluded. International law prohibits the forced displacement of protected populations in occupied territories, the destruction of private property, and the annexation of land. The International Court of Justice reaffirmed these principles in its advisory opinion issued in July 2024, which condemned Israel's policies in the occupied Palestinian territory. Shortlink for this post:
Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
UN Rights Office Sounds The Alarm Over Forced Displacement In The West Bank
26 June 2025 Israeli authorities have stepped up measures to transfer large numbers of people from long-standing Palestinian towns and communities, according to OHCHR's office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. On 18 June, the High Planning Council in the Israeli Civil Administration issued a directive to reject all building and planning permits submitted by Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, South Hebron Hills, in the area referred by the Israeli authorities as Firing Zone 918. The decision was based on the grounds that the Israeli army needs the area for 'military training,' the rights office said. Demolitions on the rise In recent months, Israel has dramatically ramped up home demolitions, as well as the arbitrary arrest and ill-treatment of Palestinians and human rights defenders. This is happening alongside intensifying movement restrictions in and around Masafer Yatta, to force Palestinians out, the office noted. At the same time, Israeli settlers from nearby outposts have carried out daily attacks and harassment of Palestinians, including older people, women and children, to force them to leave. 'The recent directive by the Israeli Civil Administration effectively paves the way for the Israeli army to demolish existing structures in the area and expel the approximately 1,200 Palestinians, who have been living there for decades,' OHCHR said. 'This would amount to forcible transfer, which is a war crime. It could also amount to a crime against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.' Some 6,463 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced following the demolition of their homes by Israel between 7 October 2023 and 31 May 2025, according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, This figure does not include the approximately 40,000 Palestinians displaced from three refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem as a result of intensive Israeli operations in the northern West Bank since January. During the same period, over 2,200 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by settler attacks and access restrictions. More communities at risk OHCHR added that countless other Palestinian communities face the same fate of forced displacement. It said that on 10 June, the Jerusalem municipality reportedly issued demolition notices for the entire village of An Nu'man, home to 150 people. The village, which is located near Bethlehem, was cut off from the rest of the West Bank by the construction of the separation wall and incorporated into Israel's unilaterally declared boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality. Most Palestinians were not provided with Jerusalem identification cards, effectively rendering them unable to access services in either East Jerusalem or the rest of the West Bank. 'These demolition notices appear to be another step by Israel to compound the coercive environment and forcibly transfer Palestinians from the village and consolidate the annexation of this land,' the office said. Evictions in East Jerusalem Meanwhile, Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem also face the ongoing threat of forced eviction from their homes and lands. OHCHR said that on 16 and 22 June, the Israeli Supreme Court endorsed the eviction of five Palestinian families, 37 people, from their homes in the Batn El Hawa neighbourhood of Silwan based on discriminatory laws that permit Jewish individuals to reclaim property lost in the 1948 war, while denying Palestinians the same rights. Additionally, the Israel Land Authority issued eviction notices on 11 June for residencies in Umm Tuba. The 150 Palestinians affected were informed that the land was registered to the Jewish National Fund under the 'settlement of land title'. 'These evictions form part of a concerted campaign by the Israeli State and settler organisations, which target Palestinian neighbourhoods to seize Palestinian homes and expand Jewish settlements,' OHCHR said. The office stressed that these acts violate international law, which prohibits the confiscation of private property in occupied territory, as highlighted by the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last July.
