Description

HEBRON, January 22, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli forces detained a Palestinian child near the village of Maghayir al-Abeed and demolished four structures in the Palestinian village of Ar-Rifa'iyya in the South Hebron Hills area on Wednesday.

An Operation Dove press release said that bulldozers tore down two houses and two animal shelters, belonged to the Palestinian Rabai family in Ar-Rifa'iyya. The demolitions affected a total of 25 people, including 10 children.

The families needed a Municipality aid to keep them in a safe place after being left homeless. The Municipality placed two tents for the affected families to stay at least during the night.

Only 20 days ago, on December 31, in the village of Ad-Deirat, close to Ar-Rifa'iyya, two settlers broke a window and threw a molotov cocktail inside a Palestinian-owned house, trying to burn it, said Operation Dove.

Ar-Rifa'iyya and Ad-Deirat villages are located in Area C, under Israeli military and administrative control.

While Ar-Rifa'iyya demolitions were being carried out, Israeli army and police jeeps reached the area of Old Havat Ma'on Hill near the Palestinian village of Maghayir al-Abeed, where some young Palestinian shepherds were grazing their flocks.

An Israeli soldier ran after a Palestinian child, aged 14. The soldier chased away the boy’s flock, put the child inside the military jeep with one goat and detained him.

After one hour, the Army released him in a seriously dangerous place between the Israeli illegal outpost of Havat Ma'on and the Israeli settlement of Ma'on. In this place several times Palestinians, including children, were attacked by Israeli settlers.

Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies stated that during 2014 the Israeli soldiers arrested 1200 Palestinian children, an issue that shows a 60% increase comparing to 2013, when the soldiers arrested 750 children.

M.H

Features