On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers demolished a Palestinian home in Tarqoumia town, west of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank’s southern part.
Several armored military vehicles, including bulldozers, invaded the Khallet Al-Jarra area in Tarqoumia and demolished a home.
The home’s owner, Raed Tmeiza, said the army demolished his home, which is just in the final stages of being built.
He added that his home was just one floor with a size of 305 square meters and that he never received a demolition order.
Tmeiza added that he has all the needed documents, including land ownership, deeds, and construction permits.
Israel’s illegal home demolition policy, regardless of cause or justification, is collective punishment that is also internationally prohibited; according to Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and, likewise, all measures of intimidation or terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.”
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.
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, and 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.”
