UN agency condemns large-scale home demolitions in West Bank
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 6 April 2016 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN agency condemns large-scale home demolitions in West Bank, 6 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5706194740d.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
6 April 2016 - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has condemned today's large scale home demolitions by Israeli authorities in the Bedouin refugee community of Um al Khayr in the South Hebron Hills.
As a result, according to UNRWA, 31 Palestine refugees, including 16 children, were made homeless in a community that has endured several rounds of demolitions and often faced harassment from the nearby illegal settlement of Karmel.
Already this year, over 700 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli demolitions in the West Bank. This figure is approaching the total number of displaced for all of 2015, said Lance Bartholomeusz, Director of UNRWA Operations in the West Bank, who said that he was "appalled" by the "unjustifiable" demolitions, which are in violation of international law.
"As the UN has said repeatedly, these demolitions must stop," said UNRWA.
