Israel demolishes Palestinian homes in West Bank

By Awad al-Rajoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces have demolished a number of Palestinian homes and detained 16 people in the occupied West Bank, an official said on Tuesday.

"The [Israeli] occupation army demolished five homes in the town of Ras Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley," mayor Salah Freijat told Anadolu Agency.

He said the demolition has left some 50 people homeless.

For his part, activist Fuad al-Amor told Anadolu Agency that the occupation forces destroyed a well and confiscated a tent in the Al-Simiya area, and a caravan in Bireen south of Hebron city.

The demolitions took place in Area C which is home to 300,000 Palestinians, comprising Bedouin and herding communities who mostly live in tents, caravans, and caves.

Under the 1995 Oslo Accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three parts -- Area A, B, and C.

International law views both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories and considers all Jewish settlement-building activities there illegal.

In a related development, Israeli forces detained 16 Palestinians in overnight raids in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society.

The NGO stated that the detainees include Khaled Tafesh, 55, a leading Hamas member.

According to Palestinian estimates, at least 4,400 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli prisons, including 39 women and some 155 children.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat