Israel Doubled West Bank Demolitions in 2013

Nearly 600 Palestinians Displaced

A new report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs shows Israeli demolitions in the occupied West Bank not only continued apace in 2013, but actually doubled over the previous year.

The report detailed 390 homes and other structures in the occupied Jordan Valley, the eventual border between an independent Palestine and Jordan, were destroyed by the Israeli government, displacing some 600 residents.

Israel has expressed opposition to the idea of Palestine having a border with anybody, and has suggested that it wants a permanent military occupation of the Jordan Valley, and potentially outright annexation, in any deal.

The intention for Palestinian officials is to dramatically increase farming in the Jordan Valley once independent to cover food needs for the population increase that returning refugees would mean. Israel has been strictly preventing any construction in the area, however, and noted that the demolished homes were built without a permit from the military.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.