Housing
by EA Helen, EA Jamie & EA Mike – 20 min read
“Ilham’s family was issued with a house demolition order from the Israeli authorities a month before. She paid ₪30,000 (around £6,500) to postpone the demolition for just a few weeks. Soldiers arrived at 4am to begin demolishing Ilham’s home. The family began moving possessions out of the house during the night, and then watched as three bulldozers tore down their year-old home.”
“Ilham’s cousin, Mysa’a, tried to persuade Ilham’s three children (aged three, four and seven) to come into her house next door, away from the demolition, but they refused to leave their mother’s side. Mysa’a says her seven-year-old niece was in tears as her bedroom was destroyed.” EA Jamie
Since 1967 when Israeli forces occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, there have been two Israeli government practices which together make a Palestinian’s right to secure housing very difficult to realise:
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Demolitions – of Palestinian houses, tents and animal shelters, as well as schools, places of worship and medical facilities |
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Settlement building – the building of ‘Jewish only’ housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas meant for a Palestinian state |
Demolitions
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) has estimated that since 1967 almost 50,000 Palestinian homes and structures have been demolished by the Israeli authorities.
As in many other parts of the world, Palestinians must apply to the authorities for permission to build homes and other structures, such as schools and medical clinics. However, unlike in other places, these applications are made to an occupying authority and are almost certain to be rejected. In addition to the small probability of success, these applications can cost thousands of pounds and take years to be processed.
This means that when Palestinians need to build new structures, they often do so without Israeli permission. The Israeli authorities then issue a demolition order to the owners. After some time, which ranges from hours to years, soldiers and bulldozers demolish the buildings and often charge the owners for the cost of the demolition. In 2020, Israel demolished more than 843 Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem (UNOCHA).
Building permits are especially hard to obtain in Area C of the West Bank, where the Israeli maintain full militaryl. These statistics show the number of permits granted by the Israeli authorities to Palestinians in Area C between 2010 and 2018:
[Source: Peace Now]
Palestinian requests for building permits: 4,090
Issued: 97
Not issued: 3,993
Demolition of three Palestinian structures in East Jerusalem.
Even during the pandemic, the demolition of Palestinian homes has continued unabated. The impact of all demolitions is that Palestinians are encouraged to leave the area in which they live, meaning that this practice constitutes a form of forced displacement. Between 2009 and 2020, Israeli authorities demolished 7,248 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, leading to the displacement of 10,932 people (UNOCHA).
Traditional Palestinian shepherding (Bedouin) communities are particularly vulnerable to evictions and demolitions. These tented communities are predominantly based in Area C and in the suburbs of East Jerusalem, which Israel has unlawfully annexed into its sovereign territory.
“On 3 Nov 2020, with the eyes of the world on the US elections, Israel demolished an entire Palestinian community in the Jordan Valley. A convoy of bulldozers drove up to the tiny shepherds’ community of Khirbet Humsah and razed it to the ground… Thousands of people living dozens of communities in the West Bank live in constant fear of demolition, as Israel seeks to reduce Palestinian presence in Area C and take over the coveted land” (B’Tselem).
Video credit: B’Tselem
Salvaged belongings from the rubble of a demolished home in the Jordan Valley
