Israel demolishes 7 Palestinian buildings in occupied West Bank, issues new demolition orders

Israeli forces on Sunday demolished seven Palestinian buildings in the village of Bartaa, west of Jenin in the northern West Bank, in the latest demolitions in the occupied territory, according to local sources.

Israeli forces and bulldozers raided the village and carried out a large-scale demolition operation targeting seven structures, including inhabited residential buildings and others still under construction, citing a lack of building permits, the sources told Anadolu.

During the operation, Israeli forces also issued demolition notices for additional homes, in an unprecedented demolition campaign affecting properties located in Area C under the Oslo Accords.

Israel frequently demolishes Palestinian structures on the grounds that they were built without permits in Area C, which remains under full Israeli civil, administrative and security control and constitutes roughly 60 percent of the occupied West Bank under the Oslo II agreement.

The latest demolitions came after Israeli authorities razed 18 homes in Bartaa in recent weeks, displacing dozens of residents, according to local sources.

Bartaa lies beyond Israel’s separation barrier but remains administratively part of Jenin governorate, and its residents hold Palestinian identification documents.

Israeli authorities effectively prevent construction and land development in Area C by making building permits nearly impossible to obtain.

According to data from the official Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli authorities carried out 70 demolition operations across the West Bank in May, destroying 155 Palestinian structures, including 39 inhabited homes, 99 agricultural facilities and eight income-generating properties.

The occupied West Bank has witnessed an escalation in demolitions, as well as attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers against Palestinians. The measures include land leveling, restrictions on access to farmland and continuing settlement expansion.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul