West Bank: Israeli demolitions intensify, a former minister denounces "systematic violence"

Israeli demolition operations continue on a large scale in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli construction equipment and bulldozers have recently destroyed more Palestinian structures. According to local sources, the town of Bartaa, located southwest of Jenin, is particularly affected by these operations.

Buildings and facilities belonging to Palestinians are being razed there as part of infrastructure and road construction projects. The same sources claim that these demolitions are accompanied by land confiscations and the uprooting of olive trees in several West Bank locations. As early as June 8, some twenty homes had already been destroyed in this same city.

In another incident, the Israeli army demolished a Palestinian home, leaving five people homeless. Israeli authorities typically justify these demolitions by claiming that the buildings in question were constructed without permits in areas under their administrative control.

The demolitions have sparked reactions within Israeli society itself. Former Defense Minister and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon stated in an interview with the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronot that he was deeply affected by what he witnessed during a recent visit to the West Bank. He asserted that the events unfolding there will remain a "shameful" episode in the country's history.

According to Moshe Ya'alon, the violence perpetrated against Palestinians is part of an "organized and systematic" phenomenon. He also stated that the perpetrators of some attacks against Palestinians often escape prosecution, despite the accusations against them.

According to official Palestinian sources cited in the report, at least 1,155 Palestinians have been killed, approximately 11,750 wounded, and more than 22,000 arrested in the West Bank since October 2023 in operations attributed to the Israeli army or Israeli civilians residing in the occupied territories. Palestinian authorities also report an increase in raids, arrests, and violence since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip.

The West Bank remains divided into administrative zones established by the 1995 Oslo Accords. Area C, which comprises approximately 61% of the territory, remains under Israeli administrative and security control. Palestinian organizations and several human rights groups regularly denounce the restrictions imposed on construction in this area, arguing that they make obtaining permits extremely difficult for Palestinian residents.