Israeli authorities demolished 953 Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank last year, according to the European Union on Tuesday. Anadolu News Agency reports.
“In 2022, 953 structures were demolished or seized across the West Bank, including Jerusalem,” the Office of the EU Representative to the Palestinians said in a statement.
The number of demolitions is “the highest number recorded since 2016”, the office said.
According to the statement, more than 80 percent of the demolished structures – 781 structures – were located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli military control, displacing nearly 1,031 Palestinians.
“Of the structures targeted in the twelve-month reporting period, the European Union or EU member states financed 101 structures (worth $366,960), representing the third highest financial injury since 2016,” the statement said.
The EU statement also cited 849 settler attacks against Palestine in 2022.
There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the EU statement.
Israel widely uses the excuse of a lack of building permits to demolish Palestinian structures, especially in Area C.
Under the 1995 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was divided into three parts – Areas A, B, and C.
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