House demolition doubled since the beginning of 2016

A report issued by the national office for the defense of land and resistance of settlement revealed that the number of Palestinians’ homes razed by Israeli occupation forces jumped to two times since the beginning of 2016 in comparison to 2015.

The office, which is affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that Israel pursues the policy of house demolition as a collective punishment against the families of Palestinians who choose to fight Israeli occupation or for pretexts such as construction without permission.

The report quoted the Coordinator for Humanitarian and UN Development Activities for the occupied Palestinian territory, Robert Piper, as saying that Israel gives construction permits to 1.5% of the applications made by Palestinians.