Israeli occupation forces issued orders on Wednesday to demolish every home in the village of An-Nu’man, situated east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Jamal Ad-Dar’awi, head of the village council, stated that Israeli soldiers and police officers, accompanied by officials from the Jerusalem municipality, stormed the village and distributed demolition notices for the third time since the beginning of the year.
He added that the latest warnings target all 35 homes in the village, which together include 45 apartments.
Each of the dwellings is currently inhabited; the oldest was built 75 years ago, and the newest dates back 35 years. Israeli authorities claim they lack proper permits.
Ad-Dar’awi said legal efforts are underway to prevent the destruction, as lawyers work to block the execution of the demolition plan.
The council was established in 2013 as a local response to the growing threat of land appropriation.
Today, about 150 residents live in An-Nu’man on land covering 1,500 dunums. Israel has banned all constructions in the area for over three decades, forcing roughly 100 villagers to leave in search of homes elsewhere.
The measures, Ad-Dar’awi explained, are part of a broader strategy to displace the village’s population and absorb it into the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.
He noted that nearly two years ago, an Israeli court ordered villagers to retroactively pay property taxes, known locally as “Arnona”, on their homes for six previous years, with each household paying between 30,000 and 60,000 shekels.
An-Nu’man lies just 4.5 kilometers east of Bethlehem; it borders the village of Al-Khas to the east, Sur Baher (in occupied Jerusalem) to the north, and Beit Sahour to the south and west.
Previous demolition notices were delivered on January 26 and again on June 10 of this year.
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
