OIC: Israel demolition of Palestinian village act of ethnic cleansing
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned Israel’s demolition of dozens of homes and buildings at a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, which displaced about 80 people, including children.
“The action falls within the framework of the policies of ethnic cleansing, annexation and colonial settlement plans implemented by the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories,” the OIC said in a statement.
The 57-member international organization noted that the move constitutes a violation of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
The OIC then called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and exert more pressure on the Israeli regime to stop its violations and crimes throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, and to provide international protection for Palestinians in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
Last week, Israeli bulldozers razed Humsa al-Baqai’a village near the city of Tubas in the strategic Jordan Valley.
The United Nations has censured the Israeli regime for carrying out what it described as the biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank for a decade.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 76 structures - including homes, animal shelters, toilets and solar panels - were destroyed when Israeli bulldozers rolled into Humsa al-Baqai’a.
OCHA said the Bedouin village is one of 38 communities fully or partially located within Israeli-designated “firing zones” and which constitute “some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank.”
Israeli authorities demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, usually claiming that the structures have been built without permits.
They also sometimes order Palestinians to tear down their own homes or pay demolition costs to the municipality.
OCHA recently warned that there has been a sharp increase in the number of Palestinian houses being demolished by Israel in the occupied West Bank during the coronavirus pandemic.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories Jamie McGoldrick has also said that the trend would make the Palestinians more susceptible to health risks.
Source: Press TV’
