Israeli soldiers invaded, Thursday, the town of Ethna, west of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and delivered demolition orders targeting several homes, agricultural structures and a barn.
Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers delivered many demolition orders, which included several homes, agricultural structures and sheds, in addition to a barn.
They added that the targeting buildings and structures are in the section of the town, which is in “Area C” of the occupied West Bank, under full Israeli military and administrative control.
More than two-third of the town is designated as Area C, and the army frequently targets with demolition Palestinian buildings, barns and various structures.
Area C: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): Over 60 per cent of the West Bank is considered Area C, where Israel retains near exclusive control, including over law enforcement, planning and construction. Most of Area C has been allocated for the benefit of Israeli settlements or the Israeli military, at the expense of Palestinian communities.
This impedes the development of adequate housing, infrastructure and livelihoods in Palestinian communities, and has significant consequences for the entire West Bank population.
Structures built without permits are regularly served with demolition orders, creating chronic uncertainty and threat, and encouraging people to leave. Where the orders are implemented, they have resulted in displacement and disruption of livelihoods, the entrenchment of poverty and increased aid dependency.
The humanitarian community has faced a range of difficulties in providing aid in Area C, including the demolition and confiscation of assistance by the Israeli authorities.
