On November 3rd, 25 Palestinian homes and five farms in Idhna were issued demolition orders of their homes for the 23rd of November. The order claims that the homes were “built without permission” of the Israeli authorities.
Fifteen homes were previously issued demolition orders in the area and are currently attempting appeals of the orders. The homes in question are approximately two kilometers from the apartheid wall outside of Idhna. Many of the families have already had homes demolished on the land and now face a second demolition of their rebuilt homes.
The permission required by the Israeli authorities is impossible to obtain for most Palestinians and many times is a ridiculous demand used to legitimize the demolition of homes across the West Bank. Since the beginning of the second intifada until May 2007, 5,000 Palestinian homes within the West Bank have been destroyed by military operations while 1,900 others have been demolished by civil administration for lack of proper permits, many more have been demolished since. On average 12 Palestinians lose their home in each of these demolitions.
All of the 40 families in Idhna own the land on which their homes are built and therefore should not need the permission of any authority to build on it. The people of Idhna are known for their resistant spirit, especially during the first intifada and many suspect that the Israeli authorities would like to displace the entire village over time.
One of the families, Fatima and Emat Farajallah and their four small children were one of the thirty families which received demolition orders on November 3rd. They began construction on a home for their growing family four years ago and will loose it to the demolition on November 23rd before its completion. Fatima commented on the situation her family and the others in the village have been placed in saying; “there is no money, the situation is very bad”. When asked where she would go with her family if their home is demolished she responded that she had no idea.
An urgent action is required from all organizations and committees concerned by such an illegitimate and racist decision. These demolitions are clearly a continuation of 60 years of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by the Israeli government and something must be done.