Israel Must Stop Demolishing, Seizing Palestinian Buildings - UN Under-Secretary General

Faizan Hashmi Published July 23, 2019 | 11:16 PM

Israel's practice demolishing and seizing Palestinian property continued in June and must be halted, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said during a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2019) Israel's practice demolishing and seizing Palestinian property continued in June and must be halted, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said during a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

"Demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures by Israeli authorities also continued," DiCarlo said. "Sixty-six structures were demolished or seized, overwhelmingly on the grounds of lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain. This practice must stop."

On Monday, Israel started demolishing houses in the Sur Bahir community in East Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities said they undertook the actions because of security considerations and because the structures were built too close to the separation barrier.

Israel issued demolition warrants based on a 2011 military directive that prohibits construction within 250 meters of the separation barrier.

DiCarlo said the activities in June led to the displacement of 90 Palestinians, 58 of whom are children, and impacted the livelihood of some 6,307 individuals.

She also said that the stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fueling extremism and escalating tensions on the occupied Palestinian territories.

"There is a growing risk of more unilateral actions and the loss of hope that peace can be achieved through negotiations," DiCarlo said.

The United Nations, the European Union and human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Israel, saying its demolition and seizing practices qualify are in violation of international laws.

According to Amnesty International's estimates, Israel has demolished more than 50,000 Palestinian homes and facilities since 1967.