Israel razes Palestinian Bedouin community structures in West Bank

By Mohamed Ghafry
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces on Wednesday demolished a Bedouin community inhabited by 11 Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank, according to a local activist.
“Israeli bulldozers and trucks moved into Al-Qabbon Bedouin community near Mughayir village, north of Ramallah, in the early morning and surrounded it from all sides,” Faris Kaabaneh told Anadolu Agency.
He said Israeli military forces brought down all structures set up by Palestinian families in the community.
“More than 150 people live in Al-Qabbon community,” Kaabaneh said, adding that Israeli forces confiscated tractors, water tanks and vehicles belonging to residents.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli forces demolished at least 421 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank this year.
Israeli authorities cite lack of building permits for demolishing Palestinian structures.
According to Kaabaneh, all the demolished structures in Al-Qabbon Bedouin community were located in Area C.
Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three portions -- Area A, B and C.
Israel prevents Palestinians from carrying out construction projects in parts of the West Bank designated as Area C, which falls under Israel’s administrative and security control.
Area C is currently home to 300,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom are Bedouins and herding communities who predominantly live in tents, caravans and caves.
International law views both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity there illegal.
*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara