In 2014 Israeli authorities demolished 188 homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, rendering homeless 882 people, including 463 minors. For decades, the Civil Administration and the Jerusalem Municipality have deliberately avoided drafting master plans that would meet the needs of Palestinian residents. The authorities then use the absence of these plans as a pretext for refusing construction permits to Palestinians. This policy means that Palestinians face an extreme housing shortage and also lack public buildings such as schools, medical clinics and community centers. In the absence of legal building avenues, some Palestinians elect to build without permits. The response of Israeli authorities is to demolish a sizeable proportion of these buildings. - In Area C of the West Bank, Israeli authorities demolished 141 homes built without permits, rendering homeless 715 individuals, including 386 minors.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 20:41:58 +0000