Two UN experts called on the Israeli government to stop its violations, especially the demolitions in the Palestinian village of Humsa Al-Baqi’a in the Jordan Valley.

This came in a joint statement issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Michael Link, and its Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal.

"The continuous destruction of homes by the Israeli army and confiscation of property, including humanitarian aid in Humsa, caused great suffering to about 60 villagers, including 35 children,” the statement said.

It stressed that "removing the villagers from their lands and homes is particularly punitive, specially in the harsh winter they live in and the continuing risks of the Coronavirus epidemic."

The unfair demolition of the properties and the forcible removal of the people under occupation cannot be justified, pointing out that this violates the international human rights ban on the forced eviction of civilians from their homes.

The two UN experts criticized the justifications of the Israeli authorities to demolish Palestinian homes in Humsa, on the pretext that they "are located within an Israeli military firing zone".

"These justifications on the part of Israel do not fulfill its strict obligations under international law. Also, an occupying power cannot use the lands under occupation to conduct military training operations," said the experts.

The statement warned that the threat of permanent expulsion of Humsa residents is part of a more worrying pattern of forced removals and home demolitions in the West Bank.

The Israeli army demolished about 200 Palestinian-owned properties in the West Bank during the first seven weeks of 2021, resulting in the displacement of at least 285 people, including 150 children, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Source : Safa