Over 1m Palestinians displaced, 166,000 homes demolished since 1948

Zionist regime has demolished nearly 166,000 Palestinian homes since it was established on the land of Palestine in 1948, a report by the Land Research Centre of the Arab Studies Association in occupied Al-Quds has revealed, adding that more than one million Palestinians have been displaced as a result of the occupation.

 “During the first nine months of the year 2020, the occupation forces demolished 450 homes and facilities, and also pushed some Palestinians to demolish their homes with their own hands,” the centre added.

The report also highlighted that the Zionist regime had adopted the policy of limiting construction by Palestinians, forcing them to resort to building their homes without permits.

Zionist regime occupied the West Bank, including East Al-Quds, during the 1967 Six Day War. It justifies the demolition of Palestinian homes by saying that they lack building permits, despite the fact that Zionist regime very rarely issues such permits to Palestinians.

The Zionist state, meanwhile, approves the construction of thousands of residential units within illegal settlements built on occupied Palestinian land.

The centre added that Palestinians based in occupied East Al-Quds alone are in urgent need of 25,000 residential units.

Palestinians believe the true purpose of the restrictive planning regime is to empty the city of its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants.

Last month, it was reported that the number of building permits Zionist regime granted Palestinians in the occupied territories decreased by 45 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

The UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in an April 2019 report that in East Al-Quds “a restrictive planning regime applied by Zionist regime makes it virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits.”

Thousands of Palestinian homes face demolition as Zionist regime refuses building permits

The building permits are charged at extortionate prices and are unaffordable for most Palestinians, creating a legal loophole for Zionist regime to annex more land and to leave Palestinians in limbo by preventing them from developing infrastructure.

Zionist regime’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also announced that he will plans to annex more areas in the occupied West Bank, in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century”, despite widespread criticism from the international community.

The proposal gives in to Zionist regime’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders.

Zionist regime’s widely practiced policy of home demolitions targeting entire families are acts of illegal collective punishment and come in direct violation of International Human Rights Law.