WEST BANK, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
The Israeli authorities have escalated their settlement plans over the past two days in the Wadi al-Hummus neighborhood of Sur Baher, east of Occupied Jerusalem. More than 40 notices were delivered, including demolition orders and stop-work orders, in what the Jerusalem Governorate described as “a dangerous escalation aimed at uprooting Palestinian residents as part of a systematic colonial plan.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, the governorate said that Israeli teams distributed 30 demolition notices yesterday for buildings located outside the separation and expansion wall, even though they fall within Area A and carry official Palestinian permits. Today, four additional demolition notices were delivered inside the wall in Areas A and B, along with six stop-work notices in Area C.
The governorate explained that this escalation is part of ongoing efforts to seize vital areas in Wadi al-Hummus, which covers roughly 4500 dunums. The Israeli authorities have already seized 2000 dunums of that land inside the wall, while the remaining portion lies outside direct control.
It noted that the occupation imposes a “buffer zone” extending 250 meters on both sides of the wall, based on a military order issued in 2011 and reactivated in 2015, using it as a pretext to issue more notices and carry out demolitions.
The statement asserted that the demolition policy is part of a broader settlement project, whereby the occupation facilitates the construction of thousands of settlement units and provides them with infrastructure, while simultaneously banning Palestinian construction and demolishing Palestinian homes. The governorate described this as “a war crime and a crime against humanity targeting Palestinian presence in Jerusalem.”
The governorate criticized the international community’s reliance on statements of condemnation, calling it “actual complicity” that encourages the occupation to continue its violations unchecked.
It also expressed “deep concern” over the rise in demolitions, which, according to the statement, are used as a tool for the forcible displacement of Palestinians, including children, women, the elderly and the sick, in clear violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions.
The Jerusalem Governorate concluded its statement by calling for urgent international action, urging the United Nations, international courts and states party to the Geneva Conventions to assume their responsibilities to halt demolitions and displacement, hold the occupation accountable, and ensure protection for Palestinians in Jerusalem and all other occupied territories.
