OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli occupation forces (IOF) demolished four residential structures in the Bir al-Maskoub Bedouin community east of occupied Jerusalem, along with solar panels, rooms and sanitation facilities, and issued demolition notices against five additional structures, in another measure targeting the Palestinian presence in Bedouin communities surrounding the city.
The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement on Tuesday that Israeli forces raided the community accompanied by personnel from the so-called Civil Administration and carried out the demolitions.
The operation came days after the settlement organization Regavim visited the community. The organization has been involved in campaigns targeting Palestinian construction and communities in areas east of Jerusalem.
The governorate said Regavim continues to campaign against Palestinian structures in several areas, including the towns of Anata and al-Eizariya.
It noted that the organization had previously targeted residential buildings in Anata containing hundreds of apartments, after which demolition notices were issued, reflecting growing pressure on Palestinian communities and structures around Jerusalem.
The latest demolitions are part of a series of measures and attacks targeting the Bir al-Maskoub Bedouin community.
On October 6, an armed Israeli settler entered the community and demanded that residents evacuate, claiming ownership of the land. Residents confronted him and forced him to leave.
The community’s water well has also been subjected to repeated attacks, including the dumping of unidentified substances and objects into it.
These incidents threaten a vital water source used by residents and neighboring Bedouin communities for drinking, household needs and watering livestock.
E1 settlement expansion threatens Bedouin communities
The developments are particularly significant because of the location of Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem within the E1 settlement area.
Through the E1 project, Israeli authorities seek to connect the Maale Adumim settlement with occupied Jerusalem by expanding settlements across a strategic area separating the city from its Palestinian surroundings.
In 2025, Israeli authorities approved plans to build 3,401 settlement housing units in E1, a move the United Nations warned would threaten Palestinian territorial continuity and expose surrounding Bedouin communities to the risk of forcible displacement.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli authorities have demolished more than 500 Palestinian structures in 18 Bedouin communities within the designated E1 area since 2009, displacing more than 900 Palestinians.
Those affected include residents who lost their homes and essential facilities provided through humanitarian assistance funded by international donors.
OCHA said the demolitions have targeted residential structures, service facilities and livestock shelters, while demolition notices continue to threaten the basic infrastructure and livelihoods of Bedouin communities.
On May 25, 2026, the UN Human Rights Office warned of the risk of forcible displacement facing the Khan al-Ahmar Bedouin community.
It called on Israeli authorities to halt evacuation measures and settlement expansion in E1, warning that plans to remove the community exposed residents to forcible transfer, which could constitute a war crime.
Regavim’s role in targeting Palestinian structures
Regavim has emerged as an influential organization in campaigns against Palestinian construction.
Founded in 2006, the organization monitors and photographs Palestinian buildings and submits complaints and applies pressure on Israeli authorities to enforce demolition orders and restrict Palestinian construction.
Its activities have attracted further scrutiny following a European Union decision on May 28, 2026, to include the organization on its sanctions list over its reported role in facilitating and encouraging practices targeting Palestinian homes and property and contributing to forcible displacement.
