Palestinian communities in the West Bank were demolished for the sixth time in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Israeli army demolished the Palestinian Bedouin community in Humsa al-Baqai’a in the Jordan Valley, including buildings provided by the international community.

Christopher Holt of the West Bank Conservation Union said that at least 65 people have been displaced, including 35 children. The Union, an international aid agency supported by the European Union, is helping residents.

The demolition has made the villagers who mainly rely on grazing about 4,000 sheep to make a living homeless again. The European Union has helped residents rebuild after previous demolitions.

According to the Oslo Agreement, the Jordan Valley, which accounts for 60% of the occupied West Bank, is classified as Zone C—meaning it is completely under Israeli military and civilian control.

This is the sixth time the small village has been demolished since November 2020, when—according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)—83 Building destroyed In the largest single demolition incident recorded in recent years.

Some temporary housing and farm facilities are provided by the European Union. Humsa al-Baqai’a received material assistance from the West Bank Conservation Consortium, which was established to prevent the forcible transfer of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Holt said the family refused to leave the area.

“We know what happened this morning is that the Israeli army entered the community around 9 am and they demolished everything in the community, including eight residential buildings, animal shelters and agricultural buildings,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The Israeli army tried to forcibly transfer the family. This is illegal because this is occupied territory and the family refuses to leave… This is a very serious escalation.”

This #Palestinians The Bedouin community of Humsa Al Bqai’a is located in District C in the north #Jordan valley #West Bank, Mainly in areas designated as “shooting zones” for Israeli military training, where Palestinians are prohibited from living or entering. 2/6 pic.twitter.com/s5s4Kjh131

— OCHA oPt (Palestine) (@ochaopt) July 7, 2021

An Israeli security official said that the government has been discussing with residents for several months and has provided an alternative location nearby. The official who was not authorized to speak publicly told the Associated Press that the offer for the new location was unchanged.

According to international law, the occupying power is strictly prohibited from transferring members of the occupied population from its existing community against its will.

In February last year, the Israeli army also confiscated water tanks in the small village. Carry out demolition Two times before the same month, the community had no drinking water or livestock water.

The family of Humsa al-Baqai’a currently cannot escape the extreme heat of 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Jordan Valley.

When the Palestinian houses in Khirbet Humsah in the Jordan Valley were demolished at a high temperature of 39 degrees, the cruelty and viciousness of the cruel Israeli occupation and contempt for the lives and livelihoods of the Palestinians were truly exposed. 🎥 Abu al-Kabash family v @btselem pic.twitter.com/kV16pa2zyU

— Joseph Willits (@josephwillits) July 7, 2021

The village is one of 38 Bedouin areas partially or completely located in Israel’s declaration of a military test firing site.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the designated “shooting zone” accounts for nearly 30% of Area C, where 6,200 Bedouins live.

These communities are among the most vulnerable in the occupied West Bank, with limited access to basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, education and health services.

Palestinian houses in the Jordan Valley were demolished by the Israeli authorities, who claimed that these houses were built without permission.

The area of ​​the Jordan Valley in Palestine is approximately 395,368 acres (160,000 hectares), and approximately 13,000 Israeli settlers live in 38 settlements. At the same time, there are approximately 65,000 Palestinians living in 34 communities.