UN Organization Reports Demolition of 300 Buildings in West Bank, Jerusalem in 2022

Palestinians inspect the damage to a house demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank on June 2, 2022. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect the damage to a house demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank on June 2, 2022. (EPA)
TT

UN Organization Reports Demolition of 300 Buildings in West Bank, Jerusalem in 2022

Palestinians inspect the damage to a house demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank on June 2, 2022. (EPA)
Palestinians inspect the damage to a house demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank on June 2, 2022. (EPA)

Israeli occupation forces have demolished or seized 300 buildings across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2022, a UN report has revealed.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) report, Israel widely uses the pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes, especially in Area C in the occupied West Bank, which constitutes around 60% of its space.

It affirmed that it is nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain such permits in the occupied Jerusalem due to the bureaucracy and policy of restrictions followed by the occupation authorities against the Palestinians in Jerusalem and Area C, where Israeli controls the construction process.

The organization accused Israel of exploiting the lands and space available for construction in Jerusalem and Area C for the internationally-banned settlement expansion, which is considered a violation of international law.

Israel has been demolishing Palestinian homes since it captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war.

Many Palestinians cannot complete the complicated procedures required by the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem or the city administration in Area C to receive the building permits. The procedures are costly and take years to be fulfilled.

The report backs other similar local, international and Israeli reports, including one by the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B’Tselem), in which it accuses Israel of preventing Palestinian development and dispossessing Palestinians of their land, with a view to enabling Israel to use as much of the West Bank for its own needs.

According to Palestinian officials, there are now over 20,000 housing units built without permits in East Jerusalem, all of which are at risk of demolition.

The figures reflect the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures and the resulting displacement of people from their homes across the West Bank since 2009.

Together with other policies and practices, the threat of destruction of homes and sources of livelihood contributes to the generation of a coercive environment pressuring people to leave their areas of residence.



Four Bodies, Four Survivors Recovered from Egypt Red Sea Sinking, Says Governor

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
TT

Four Bodies, Four Survivors Recovered from Egypt Red Sea Sinking, Says Governor

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)

Rescuers on Tuesday recovered four bodies and four survivors a day after a diving boat capsized off Egypt's eastern coast, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said, with eight people still missing.

Among the survivors were two Belgians, one Swiss national and one Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the vessel to 32. The four dead have not yet been identified and eight people remain missing.

"Rescue operations are ongoing today, supported by a military helicopter and a frigate in addition to multiple divers," Hanafi told AFP.

The vessel was carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave early on Monday, leading it to capsize near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt. The "Sea Story" had embarked on a multi-day diving trip on Sunday and had been due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada, 200 kilometres (124 miles) north.

The governor on Monday said the boat had sunk within 5-7 minutes of its impact with the wave, leaving some passengers -- among them European, Chinese and American tourists -- unable to escape their cabins in time.

- Survivors -

Rescuers from the military and a passing tourist boat had pulled 28 people from the waters on Monday. According to a source at a hospital in Marsa Alam, six tourists and three Egyptians were admitted with minor injuries and discharged on Monday.

The tourists included "two Germans, two Britons, one Spaniard and one Swiss national," the hospital administrator told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

According to the governor's office, the boat was carrying tourists from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

Among the missing are two Polish and two Finnish tourists, according to both countries' foreign ministries.

Authorities have said the vessel was fully licensed and had passed all its inspection checks. A preliminary investigation showed no technical fault.

The Marsa Alam area experienced at least two similar boat accidents earlier this year but there were no fatalities. The Red Sea coast is a major tourist destination in Egypt, a country of 107 million that is in the grip of a serious economic crisis.

Nationally, the tourism sector employs two million people and generates more than 10 percent of its GDP.

Dozens of dive boats crisscross between Red Sea coral reefs and islands off Egypt's eastern coast every day, where safety regulations are robust but unevenly enforced.

Earlier this month, 30 people were rescued from a sinking dive boat near the Red Sea's Daedalus reef. In June, two dozen French tourists were evacuated safely before their boat sank in a similar accident.

Last year, three British tourists died when a fire broke out on their yacht.