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| One man walks over remains of his home demolished by Israeli bulldozers |
Jerusalem: Human Rights Watch has said Israeli forces should immediately end unlawful demolitions of Palestinian homes and other structures in Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Human Rights Watch which documented demolitions on 19 August in which 39 people including 18 children were displaced in East Jerusalem, HRW says that at least 79 more Palestinians have been displaced since August 19, 2013.
Demolitions of homes and other structures that compel Palestinians to leave their communities and transfer of residents of an occupied territory is a war crime, HRW added.
Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, Joe Stork said that,
“When Israeli forces routinely and repeatedly demolish homes in occupied territory without showing that it’s necessary for military operations, it appears that the only purpose is to drive families off their land, which is a war crime, the politics of peace talks do not make it any less unlawful for Israel to demolish Palestinians’ homes without a valid military reason.”
According OCHA , quoted by HRW, in one case, Israeli forces destroyed the tent in which a family of seven people was sheltering after the military demolished their home twice, Israeli forces cut the road leading to the remaining home of an extended family in East Jerusalem, after demolishing their other adjoining homes in April.