Israel issues demolition orders for Palestinian homes, farmland in Bethlehem

Israeli occupation forces yesterday issued demolition orders for five residential homes, an agricultural structure, and farmland in the Palestinian village of Al-Walajah, based northwest of Bethlehem.

Khadir Al-Araj, head of the Al-Walajah Village Council, told Wafa news agency that Israeli soldiers raided the village and handed out demolition orders for five inhabited Palestinian homes.

In addition to the homes, Israeli occupation authorities also ordered the demolition of a horse stable and the levelling of farmland owned by Palestinian residents Zakaria Mahmoud Al-Araj and Hamed Saleh Hajjajleh.

READ: Israel settlers raze large areas of Palestinian land in near Ramallah

Israel claims the properties were built without the impossible to obtain building permits.

Palestinians and Israeli rights groups accuse Israeli municipal authorities of denying building permits to Palestinians while allowing the construction of Jewish-only illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel destroyed at least 8,765 Palestinian facilities, including 3,107 agricultural buildings and 2,725 houses, in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem between January 2010 and January 2025, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Demolition campaigns are not only meant to forcibly displace Palestinian people from their homes, but also aim to break the determination of the Palestinian people and their legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation.

In a related issue, the Israeli Knesset has approved a draft law allowing Jewish settlers to take over direct ownership of land and assets owned by Palestinians, which further encourages settlement activities on Palestinian lands.

All of Israel’s settlements and the settlers who live in them are illegal under international law.