Israel often forces Palestinians to demolish their own homes to make way for illegal settlements. On 12 June, a new report by the Land Research Center of the Arab Studies revealed that Israeli occupiers demolished at least 1,032 Palestinian buildings and homes in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 2021. According to the report, at least 1,834 Palestinians, including 954 children, were displaced.
The justification Israel usually gives for the evictions is that the residents do not have permits from the Israeli authorities. Often, the evictees cannot have these permits at all, as the areas in question are newly occupied by the Zionists in the course of Israel's settlement policy. The evictions are then enforced directly by the Israeli armed forces. The Palestinian owners of the houses are often ordered to demolish their houses themselves and also to pay for the resulting costs.
Currently, the Israeli state occupies large tracts of Palestinian agricultural land intended for the planned expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank. More than 600,000 Israelis live in 230 settlements in the Palestinian territories, all of which are considered illegal under international law. Even reactionary institutions like the United Nations (UN) recognise Israel's settlements as illegal.
But despite this, on 4 June the Israeli authorities announced a project to build 820 new settler homes in occupied Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian Information Centre, Israeli forces have demolished 60 homes, arrested 1,738 Palestinians - including children - and killed dozens more since the beginning of 2022. This is exactly what the Israeli state means for Palestine and its people. Oppression, expulsion, imprisonment, torture and murder - for over 70 years. But for just as long, the Palestinian people have been resisting the Zionists' occupation and fighting with stones against tanks for the national liberation of Palestine.
