Israeli forces today handed notices to demolish 18 Palestinian structures in Umm al-Khair village in Masafer Yatta in southern West Bank.
Fouad Amour, a local activist, said that Israeli forces stormed the village and delivered demolition notices to eight villagers, identified as members of the Hathalin, al-Masri, al-Tibneh and al-Faqir families purportedly for being built without licenses.
#Israeli Defense Minister: #Israel is Fighting a ‘Real #War’ on Area C #WestBank https://t.co/UuOTpv9fhF via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/bjM7kfZ7ED
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 18, 2020
Umm al-Khair is the largest Palestinian community in Masafer Yatta, a collection of almost 19 hamlets that rely heavily on animal husbandry as the main source of livelihood.
It is located in Area C of the West Bank, under full Israeli administrative and military control.
Sealed Off and Forgotten: What You Should Know about Israel’s ‘Firing Zones’ in the #WestBank https://t.co/bdNZMVGk29 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/rexnI8FhWF
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 15, 2020
“Masafer Yatta, which exists in complete and utter isolation from the rest of the occupied West Bank, is located in ‘Area C’, which constitutes the larger territorial chunk, about 60%, of the West Bank,” wrote Palestinian journalist Ramzy Baroud.
“This means that the village, along with many Palestinian towns, villages and small, isolated communities, is under total Israeli military control.”
(The Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
