Israel Orders Halt on Construction of Homes in Jordan Valley

Israeli authorities on Sunday notified Palestinians  to stop the ongoing construction of several houses and animal barns in Frush Beit Dajan area in Central Jordan Valley, according to local sources.

Aref Daraghmeh, who monitors Israeli settlement activities, told WAFA that Israeli forces raided Frush Beit Dajan area and notified to stop the construction of more than seven houses and animal barns.

The village is part of Area C of the West Bank, under complete Israeli control.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army reportedly threatened to evict many families from Hamsa al-Fawqa area and prevented Palestinian shepherds from grazing their sheep in the area.

Issuance of construction permits by Israeli authorities for Palestinians in Area C, unlike for Israeli settlers, requires unreasonable fees that most Palestinians cannot afford to pay.

Over the course of 2015, Israel demolished 521 structures in Area C as well as in East Jerusalem, displacing 636 people, according to the UN monitoring group OCHA.

The vast majority of these demolitions were carried out on the grounds of construction without a permit. Between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of applications for building permits in Area C were approved by Israeli occupation authorities, OCHA adds.

The Israeli Committee against House Demolitions (ICAHD) explains in a special report that “in almost all cases Palestinians have no choice but to build 'illegally’ as permits are almost impossible to obtain.”

“Many Palestinians have suffered multiple displacements, having lost their homes and livelihoods more than once. Forced displacement has a series of immediate and longer-term physical, socio-economic and psycho-social impacts on Palestinian families.”

Source: WAFA