‘Israeli’ Demolishing of Palestinian Houses Policy of Ethnic Cleansing

By Staff, Fars News Agency

Political activist Jeff Halper said the Zionist entity aims at taking more Palestinian lands by driving them out of their territory or confine the remaining people in a relatively small area.

Halper told Fars News Agency that ‘Israel’ extends the notorious separation wall “as long and as high as ‘Israel’ needs to define its demographic borders and the cantos in which the Palestinians will be confined”.

Halper is a co-founder of The People Yes! Network [TPYN] and the former Director of the ‘Israeli’ Committee against House Demolitions [ICAHD].

In response to a questions regarding the ‘Israeli’ demolition of Palestinians' homes, he said: “The ‘Israeli’ policy of home demolitions goes back to the Nakba in 1948, when it systematically demolished more than 530 entire villages, towns and urban areas, some 52,000 homes. Some other 55,000 have been demolished in the occupied Palestinian Territory since 1967, plus thousands more within ‘Israel’ until today.”

He went on to say that “it is a policy of ethnic cleansing, designed to drive as many Palestinians out of the country or to confine those that stay to small enclaves on 15% of the country.”

Halper further explained that ‘Israel’ will not demolish homes in those enclaves [Areas A & B, Gaza except in military attacks] and the enclaves of East al-Quds and ‘Israel’ since it needs them to house the population in concentrated areas.

He stressed that all kinds of demolitions are war crimes since they violate the Fourth Geneva Convention that protects a civilian population living under occupation.

“The act itself was not unusual. ‘Israeli’ demolition of Palestinian homes is a routine, almost daily occurrence. What set it apart was the scale, the impunity, and the political implications,” he added.