Perilous Times
Israel razes 'mosque' in West Bank
Israeli troops demolished a mosque and over 10 other structures in two
areas of the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to Palestinian
sources.
Israel razes 'mosque' in West Bank
A Palestinian woman rects near the rubble of a mosque that was
destroyed by the Israeli army in the West Bank village of Khirbet Yarza
Most of the demolition activity took place in the village of Khirbet
Yarza in the northern Jordan Valley, where residents said troops had
razed a very old mosque and its much-larger extension, which was built
last year.
They also said troops had levelled "more than 10 buildings used for
sheep".
The army confirmed knocking down what it described as "eight temporary
structures" that had been built inside a military firing zone.
"The security forces and the Civil Administration destroyed eight
temporary structures and the frame of another structure, which were
built without the required permits inside a firing zone endangering the
lives of the residents," said COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry unit
that acts as a link between the army and the Palestinians.
At the opposite end of the West Bank, Israeli troops destroyed a
building which was home to 18 people in the southern town of Yatta, the
residents and municipal officials told AFP.
Khirbet Yarza is located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under
full Israeli control and where all construction and planning issues
come under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Civil Administration.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the demolitions, including that of
a new road only opened in September by prime minister Salam Fayyad near
Salfit in the northern West Bank.
"Our efforts to construct a (Palestinian) state come up against the
destruction of this state by Israel," a statement said, pointing out
that the building of the new road had been largely financed by
international donors.
Israel controls some 60 per cent of the Palestinian territory,
especially areas around Jewish settlements.
Figures from the Israeli NGO Bimkom show that around 95 per cent of
applications for a building permit are rejected, with the Civil
Administration only granting around 12 permits a year.
United Nations figures show that in 2009, Israel destroyed 180
Palestinian structures in Area C, including 56 residential buildings.