Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and West Bank surge: Report

A new report has revealed a sharp uptick in the number of Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem and other parts of the occupied West Bank.

According to the report, the surge is driven by pressure from the far-right Religious Zionism party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and the Jewish Power party, led by Itamar Ben Gvir, the former national security minister, along with key figures from the Likud party and the "Land of Israel Lobby" in the Israeli Knesset.

Last Sunday, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders for all homes in Khirbet al-Nu’man, a village near Bethlehem, according to the weekly settlement report. The orders, which impact 45 homes, were issued under the pretext of lacking permits.

According to head of the local council, Jamal al-Darawi, the Jerusalem municipality has systematically denied the village water, sewage and waste collection.

In Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood in occupied Jerusalem, around 7,500 residents are either facing demolition orders or seizure by settler groups.

Between October 2023 and November 2024, Israeli forces demolished 320 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, with 87 in Silwan alone.