‘Israel’ Demolishes Record Number of Palestinian Homes in 2020

By Staff, Agencies

The Zionist occupation authorities demolished a record number of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied al-Quds so far this year, despite the coronavirus pandemic that has seriously affected Palestinians’ lives.

Ir Amim, an NGO the opposes the Zionist regime’s settlement expansion activities, said in a report that 2020 had surpassed previous years with a record total number of home demolitions in east al-Quds, the Palestinian Information Center reported on Sunday.

The apartheid regime has knocked down at least 125 residential homes so far this year, compared to 104 for all of 2019 and 72 in 2018.

This week, ‘Israeli’ authorities [carried out] several demolitions in east al-Quds bringing the total number of Palestinian homes demolished since the beginning of the year to 125. Thus, with still two months left in the year, 2020 is the worst year in terms of demolition. Previously, 2016 was the year with the highest number of houses demolished in east al-Quds at 123.

According to its report, the number of razing permits has been too high in the mainly Palestinian eastern half of the occupied city despite a two-month suspension during the coronavirus lockdown this spring.

The 'Israeli' occupation forces routinely demolish Palestinian houses in the occupied West Bank, claiming that the structures have been built without ‘permits,’ which are nearly impossible to obtain. They also sometimes order Palestinian owners to demolish their own houses or pay the costs of the demolition if they do not.

Last month, the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] said there had been a sharp increase in the number of Palestinian houses being demolished by the ‘Israeli’ regime in the occupied West Bank during the coronavirus pandemic. It said that ‘Israel’ had demolished more than 500 structures in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip this year.

Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territories Jamie McGoldrick warned that the Zionist entity’s demolition of Palestinian houses during the COVID-19 pandemic would make the Palestinians more susceptible to health risks.