UN Experts: Israel must be held accountable for systematic demolitions of Palestinian homes

A United Nations panel of experts has called on the international community to take action to stop the systematic demolitions, arbitrary evictions and forced evictions of the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank. Palestine's official Wafa news agency quoted the experts in a statement Monday after media reports said the Israeli regime demolished 132 Palestinian buildings in 38 communities in the occupied West Bank in January 2023, a 135 percent increase compared to the same period in 2022 .

"The systematic demolition of Palestinian homes, the construction of illegal Israeli settlements and the systematic denial of building permits to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank amounts to 'house murder,'" the statement said. The experts reiterated their concerns about the situation in the Masafer Yatta area, where more than 1,100 Palestinian residents are at imminent risk of eviction, arbitrary displacement and destruction of their homes, livelihoods, water and sanitation facilities.

"Direct attacks on the homes, schools, livelihoods and water sources of the Palestinian people are nothing more than Israel's attempts to prevent the Palestinians' right to self-determination and threaten their very existence," the experts said. “Israel's tactic of forcibly expelling the Palestinian population seems to know no bounds. In the occupied east of Al-Quds, dozens of Palestinian families are also at imminent risk of evictions and displacement as a result of discriminatory zoning and planning that encourages Israeli settlement expansion, an act illegal under international law and amounting to a war crime.” , they said.

The experts also warned of the Israeli regime's endorsement and escalating practice of evictions and demolitions over alleged attacks by Palestinians on Israeli settlers, such as the withdrawal of identification documents, citizenship and residency rights, and social security benefits. “The rule of law must take precedence in all measures against acts of violence. Sealing off the family homes of suspected criminals and then destroying their homes violates international human rights law and the rule of law. Such acts amount to collective punishment, which is strictly prohibited under international law,” the experts said.

“We regret that impunity prevails, particularly in the case of human rights violations and possible war crimes committed by the occupying power. It is high time for international tribunals to determine the nature of the Israeli occupation and demand justice and accountability for all crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories.” The Israeli regime occupied the West Bank, including East al-Quds, in a Western-backed war in 1967. Since then, it has dotted the area with hundreds of settlements housing thousands of settlers. All settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has issued several resolutions condemning Israel's settlement activities in the occupied territories.