Israelis Stab Palestinian Worker, Demolish Home in West Bank

Israeli bulldozers escorted by Israeli soldiers entered the Beit Sira village west of Ramallah and demolished the building which was under construction, the Palestinian Information Center reported. The Israeli troops clashed with the Palestinian protesters who had gathered to object to the demolition and prevented them from entering the area. No casualties were immediately reported, though. Ismail Ankawi, the owner of the building, had earlier received a notice saying that the structure would be demolished under the pretext that it lacked the necessary construction license, which is almost impossible to obtain. Israeli authorities usually demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, claiming that the structures have been built without permits. They also sometimes order the Palestinian owners to demolish their own homes or pay the demolition costs to the municipality if they do not. The Tel Aviv regime presses ahead with its expropriation of Palestinian lands for the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements. The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a recent report that there had been a sharp increase in the number of Palestinian houses being demolished by Israel in the occupied West Bank during the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories Jamie McGoldrick warned that Israel’s demolition of Palestinian houses during the pandemic would make the Palestinians more susceptible to health risks. Back in May last year, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem said in a report that the Tel Aviv regime uses other strategies to block Palestinian use of land, or demolish the homes Palestinians have already built, thus, clearing the way for new illegal Israeli settlements in the region. Palestinian injured in knife attack by Israeli settler Separately, Palestinian media reports said an Israeli settler had wounded a Palestinian worker in a sudden knife attack in the occupied West Bank. The stabbing attack took place in Hebron (al-Khalil) on Wednesday. Issa Abu Halil, 30, was rushed to hospital for medical assistance after suffering moderate injuries, according to local sources.   There was no information if the Israeli police had arrested the stabber. The heightened violence comes amid Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he would start plans for annexing more areas in the occupied West Bank, in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s "deal of the century". Trump officially unveiled his scheme in January at the White House with Netanyahu on his side. The proposal gives in to Israel’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders, enshrining the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allowing the Tel Aviv regime to annex settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley. Trump's highly provocative scheme, which further denies the right of return to Palestinian refugees, is also in complete disregard of UN Security Council resolutions and rejected by the vast majority of the international community. Israel’s unlawful annexation push has drawn widespread criticism from the entire international community, including the regime’s closest allies. The United Nations, the European Union and key Arab countries have all said the West Bank annexation would violate international law and undermine the prospects of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 boundaries.  Trump’s plan has been rejected by all Palestinians factions. More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions. Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

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