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Scene. Published by IMEMC News
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by IMEMC News
Jan 27, 2025

On Sunday, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders for 45 homes in the village of al-Nu’man, located east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, as reported by local sources.

Jamal al-Darawi, head of the an-Nu’man Village Council, stated that Israeli forces, along with employees from the Jerusalem municipality, raided the village and posted demolition notices on the facades of 45 homes.

The notices cited the lack of construction permits as the reason for the demolitions, although many of these homes were built before 1948, with the most recent construction dating back to 1993.

Al-Darawi mentioned that the authorities aim to displace the village’s residents and incorporate the area into the boundaries of the Jerusalem Municipality.

He also pointed out that about a year and a half ago, an Israeli military court imposed the Arnona property tax on all homes in the village, which had been issued demolition orders six times previously. Homeowners were forced to pay between 30,000 and 60,000 shekels per house in these tax fees.

According to the Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission, Israeli authorities issued 903 demolition orders for Palestinian structures in 2024, citing a lack of permits.

The demolition orders were distributed across the West Bank, with 180 orders in Hebron, 140 in Jericho and the Jordan Valley, and 126 in Bethlehem. These also included 20 demolition orders targeting the eastern rural areas of Bethlehem.

The commission noted that in 2024, Israel carried out 684 demolitions, impacting a total of 903 Palestinian structures in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. As a result, 4,332 people were displaced, including 2,320 children.