On Thursday, Israeli soldiers invaded Majdal Bani Fadel village, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank’s northern part, and demolished a Palestinian home.
Fadel Rami Nassar, the head of Majdal Bani Fadel Village Council, stated that several Israeli military vehicles, including a bulldozer, invaded the Al-Jubail area in the western part of the village.
Nassar added that the soldiers stormed the home of Mohammad Ibrahim Abu Zayed, forcing him and his family to leave the property before demolishing it.
About a month ago, the army invaded the village and handed the Palestinian a demolition order for his 160-square-meter home, as it was built in Area C of the West Bank.
Only 30 percent of Area C land is designated for development by Palestinians. The remaining 70 percent is classified as closed military zones that are off-limits to Palestinians unless they obtain special permits from Israeli authorities.
These stringent restrictions on Palestinians’ spatial development continue to intensify, even though, without Area C, a Palestinian state is inconceivable. Indeed, Area C holds valuable natural resources and a rich cultural heritage, and it represents the bulk of available areas for the spatial development of a future Palestinian state.
While Israel continues to build and expand its illegal colonies, Palestinian communities and towns in occupied Jerusalem and various areas in the occupied West Bank continue to be denied the right to build homes and property under various allegations meant to prevent the expansion of Palestinian towns and neighborhoods.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
