Israeli settlers demolish 15 Palestinian homes in West Bank, residents say

Israeli settlers demolished around 15 Palestinian homes and an animal pen in a village near Jericho in the occupied West Bank, residents and activists said.

The structures, several of them tin shacks, were torn down in al-Duyuk al-Tahta the day before, amid rising settler violence that has repeatedly forced families to flee.

The latest violence came days after Israel’s security cabinet approved measures to tighten control over the West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion.

“About 50 settlers arrived, forced everyone out of the houses and began demolishing them. Then they took everything – even the chickens,” village resident Mustafa Kaabneh, who has lived in the area for nearly two decades, told AFP.

He said most of the settlers were armed and masked and were accompanied by an Israeli army vehicle before returning with a bulldozer.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Another resident, Bassem Kaabneh, 23, said settlers beat women and children, expelled families from their homes and seized personal belongings.

“They told me: ‘Enough, you don’t have a home here anymore’.”

Abu Audi al-Rajabi, who owns one of the demolished houses, said no demolition order had been issued.

“The house was built 13 years ago and has been lived in ever since,” he said.

Al-Rajabi, who primarily resides in Jerusalem, said he was unable to reach the area because it had been sealed off.

Local activist Jihad Mahaless said the demolished homes lie in Area C, a part of the West Bank that under the Oslo Accords signed in the 1990s falls under full Israeli control.

He said five of the structures were made of stone, while the rest were tin homes and animal shelters.

“We are now living under the trees,” Bassem Kaabneh said.

On Sunday, Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures that would allow Israel to expand its control in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords.

The plans, which have sparked international outrage, would also allow Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and allow Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites even when they are located in areas under Palestinian Authority control.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

Around three million Palestinians live in the territory.

Israeli settler violence and harassment in the occupied West Bank displaced nearly 700 Palestinians in January, the United Nations said last week, the highest rate since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.

West Bank Palestinians are also displaced when Israel’s military destroys structures and dwellings it says were built without permits.