Israeli forces, on Thursday, ordered a Palestinian family, from the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron, to stop reconstruction on their home, and detained the workers.
According to Hebron’s Palestinian Reconstruction Commission, Israeli forces raided Ishaq Maharmeh’s house in the Old City of Hebron, which is under full Israeli control, and ordered him to stop reconstruction and maintenance work at the house.
Sources confirmed that Israeli forces stopped work under the pretext that Maharmeh must obtain military permission issued by the Israeli Civil Administration, first.
Israeli forces detained several workers who were working on renovation inside Maharmeh’s home. However, their identities remained unknown, according to Ma’an.
The Palestinian Civil Liaison said that it was informed of the military’s decision to prevent the repair work.
The liaison added that efforts are being made to reverse the decision, so that the Reconstruction Commission could complete the task.
The commission tries to help Palestinian residents of the Old City of Hebron with renovating their homes, in order to prevent people from leaving their homes, as Israel plans to take over Palestinian homes and transfer ownership to Israeli settlers.
Hebron’s flash-point Old City has been declared a “closed military zone” by the Israeli army since November of 2015, and all non-resident Palestinians have been prevented from entering the area.
Palestinians residing in the Old City were required to register under a numbering system, following the declaration, in order to pass through the 17 military checkpoints that crisscross the area.
Some 800 Israeli settlers live illegally in the area, and have been able to move freely.
Despite being located in the center of Hebron city, which is under Palestinian jurisdiction, the Old City is located in an area designated as “H2” and is under full Israeli military control.
Around 40,000 Palestinians live in H2, and report frequent and often violent harassment by Israeli settlers attempting to push locals out of the Old City, and the harsh restrictions imposed by the military which prevent Palestinians from carrying out daily activities.
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