2016 sees Israel demolish record number of West Bank homes
In 2016, Israeli authorities significantly increased home demolitions across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, using the pretext of lacking building permits. This marked the highest number of demolitions since B’Tselem began tracking them in 2004. In East Jerusalem, 88 homes and 48 non-residential structures were demolished, rendering 295 people homeless. In the West Bank, 274 homes were demolished, displacing 1,134 individuals, primarily in areas like the South Hebron Hills, Maale Adumim, and the Jordan Valley. These demolitions are part of Israel’s broader strategy to limit Palestinian presence in areas it seeks to control, using planning and legal tools to create impossible living conditions for Palestinians. The policy forces Palestinians to build without permits, knowing their homes may be demolished, contributing to the forcible transfer and dispossession of Palestinian communities.
This entry is original published by B'Tselem.
