Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israel army destroyed a Palestinian Bedouin village and displaces its residents in the Jordan Valley, surprises families living since the time of their ancient fathers

Palestinians affected by the demolition

 

Eyewitnesses and Palestinian and Israeli officials said on Wednesday, that the Israeli occupation forces demolished the homes of about 80 Palestinians in a major operation in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank.

On Tuesday evening, Israeli bulldozers destroyed the entire small Bedouin village of Humsa Al-Buqi`a, including tents, livestock pens and solar panels near the city of Tubas, in the northeastern West Bank, leaving dozens of homeless people behind, according to what an AFP photographer saw there.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the demolition, "which is the largest of its kind against our steadfast people in the Jordan Valley."

Shtayyeh said: "Yesterday evening, the occupation authorities demolished the Homsa Al-Buqai`a community in the Tubas governorate completely, leaving nearly 80 people homeless after the demolition of 70 housing facilities and livestock pens."

And he considered that this "represents a new Israeli violation and violation of international law, an additional challenge to us and the international community and systematic destruction to prevent the possibility of establishing an independent Palestine on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital."

For its part, the Office for the Coordination of the Activities of the Israeli Government in the Occupied Palestinian Territories affiliated with the Ministry of Defense (COGAT) confirmed that "it destroyed buildings and facilities that were illegally constructed in a military firing range in the Jordan Valley."

The Jordan Valley, or Jordan Valley, is a strip of strategic border land that extends from the Sea of ​​Galilee to the Dead Sea.

The Jordan Valley is located mainly in the area classified "C" or "C" of the West Bank, which is completely under the control of Israel, which plans to annex it.

According to Israel, the construction of buildings in this area requires prior permits from the Israeli authorities, which demolish homes built by Palestinians without permits, she said.

"We were surprised yesterday by the arrival of more than 20 military jeeps and six bulldozers to our homes. They gave us 10 minutes to evacuate our homes and they began to raze and destroy all our homes, which are inhabited by 11 families consisting of 80 people," Abdul-Ghani Awada, 52, told France Press.

"They destroyed our water tanks, solar power stations, sheep feed and everything we owned. We became without shelter, especially with the onset of winter and the rains," Abdul-Ghani said.

"We have been living here since the time of our ancient fathers, and we have always been subjected to harassment by the army and settlers from the settlements of Rawaih and Bqaoot. But this time they deported us and destroyed our village in a completely brutal manner," he said.

The Israeli non-governmental organization "B'Tselem" commented on the demolition of the village, saying that "while the whole world fights against the Covid-19 epidemic, Israel devotes its time and efforts to exhausting the Palestinian population under its control, and instead of protecting them, it creates a tragic situation for them."

"They hardly have a way to build legally," the organization added.

According to B'Tselem, an organization against Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank since June 1967, "since the beginning of 2020, 798 Palestinians have witnessed the destruction of their homes by the Israeli authorities."

She said it has been a record year since the NGO began counting demolitions in 2016.

Shtayyeh called on "international partners to intervene to put an end to the occupation's attempts to displace the people of Homs Al-Buqai`a and dozens of similar gatherings," calling for "the protection of the Palestinian people from the continuing violations of their right."