Israeli forces today delivered orders to demolish two Palestinian houses in al-Maniya village, northeast of Bethlehem, according to a municipal source.

Head of al-Maniya village council, Zeyad Kawazba, told WAFA that Israeli forces stormed the village and handed military orders to demolish two houses purportedly for being built without rarely-issued Israeli licenses.

The houses, each occupying an area of some 200 square meters, belonging to Yousef Jabbarin, and his brother, Shadi, and are currently inhabited by their families.

On August 7, Israel ordered a halt on the construction of two inhabited houses in the same village.

Located some nine kilometers to the southeast of Bethlehem, al-Maniya has a population of some 1,450 and occupies a total area of 8,908 dunums, while almost 90 percent of its land is classified as C, which is under full Israeli control.

Israel denies planning permits for Palestinians to build on their own land or to extend existing houses to accommodate natural growth, particularly in Area C, which constitutes 60 percent of the occupied West Bank.

 

Source: Wafa Agency