Just the Facts: Home Demolitions
- As an occupying power, Israel is obligated under international law to: protect civilians, refrain from forcible transfer of population, and respect private property.
- Since 1967,over 50,000 homes and structures have been demolished in the oPt.
- Over 7,100 structures have been demolished since 2009.
- Almost 2,000 of those were occupied homes.
- Over 11,000 people have lost their homes.
- In 2020, Israel demolished 865 structures and 1,014 people lost their homes in the West Bank.
- During the COVID pandemic, demolitions have spiked, averaging 65 per month, the highest rate in four years.
- 2020 was the second-highest year for demolitions since 2009.
- On November 3, 2021, 73 Palestinians, including 41 children, were forcibly displaced when Israeli authorities committed a mass demolition in the village of Humsa Al Bqai’a.
- Three-quarters of the village population lost their homes, making this the largest forced displacement in over four years.
- With 76 structures demolished, it was the single largest demolition in the past decade.
This week’s Just the Facts comes from:
- “Fact sheet: Home Demolitions” from Mennonite Central Committee.
- “Unlawful demolitions in the West Bank spike during COVID-19” from OCHA oPt.
- “Data on demolition and displacement in the West Bank” from OCHA oPt.
- And from ICAHD.
Learning More
- Al Jazeera‘s “Jerusalem: Hitting Home”
- Our previous Kumi Now online gathering with Jeff Halper and ICAHD.
- To go deeper, we have an extensive list of Additional Resources at the bottom of this week’s entry and we’re developing a YouTube playlist on the subject.