Seven Palestinian homes were demolished by Israeli forces on Thursday across the occupied West Bank, with more than 20 people displaced in Biddu; demolitions east of Jerusalem also prompted warnings about the E1 settlement project.
The Jerusalem Governorate said five houses in Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, were torn down because they lacked building permits. It said residents had not been warned beforehand and more than 20 people were displaced.
Anadolu Agency reported that one home was demolished in Qarawat Bani Hassan, west of Salfit, and another in Furush Beit Dajan, east of Nablus. The report said authorities also ordered a resident in al-Aqda, part of Qarawat Bani Hassan, to stop building a home. It added that about 10 demolition notices had previously been issued for inhabited homes in the area.
The report placed the demolitions within a wider dispute over building permits. Rights organizations cited by Anadolu said Palestinians have little success seeking permission to build, even as Israeli settlement projects continue to receive authorization.
On Tuesday, Israeli authorities demolished about half the structures in Bir al-Maskoub, a Bedouin community east of East Jerusalem, displacing around 20 Palestinians, Peace Now, Ir Amim and Bimkom said. The groups said the work affected roughly four residential compounds, including homes, kitchens and sanitation facilities. They described it as the first demolition in the community since plans for E1 were revived, and said authorities renewed orders dating to 2008 against the remaining structures.
The E1 proposal envisions 3,401 settlement units between East Jerusalem and Ma'ale Adumim. The three groups warned that carrying out the plan could divide the West Bank and further distance East Jerusalem from nearby Palestinian communities. They also said other Bedouin communities in the area, where hundreds of Palestinians live, could face displacement.
