Israeli demolitions displace more than 100 Palestinians in Biddu

Israeli forces demolished residential properties in Biddu in the occupied West Bank on November 5, displacing more than 100 Palestinians, according to reports by Al Jazeera and WAFA. WAFA placed the town northwest of Jerusalem and said the demolitions took place on Thursday.

WAFA put the number of people displaced at 105 and described the demolished properties as five residential buildings with 12 apartments between them. Al Jazeera reported that five homes had been demolished, giving a displacement figure of more than 100 people without an exact count.

The account of events leading up to the demolitions came from WAFA. It reported earthworks near the Beit Iksa military checkpoint and said several trees were uprooted before Israeli forces entered Biddu with military vehicles. Its report placed those events before the residential demolitions.

WAFA also reported that forces used stun grenades and tear gas against residents. It said residents were prevented from leaving their homes or taking out their belongings before the buildings were demolished, and that the operation had taken place without advance notice to them.

The agency said construction without permits was the stated reason for the demolitions. In a separate interview with Raya, Palestinian official Muwafaq al-Khatib said Israeli authorities had cited both a lack of building permits and the properties' location in Area C as grounds for the action.

Al-Khatib, who directs the Jerusalem governorate's office responsible for the area northwest of the city, told Raya that entire families were among those displaced. He estimated that approximately 100 people had lost their homes, broadly consistent with the displacement figures reported by the other outlets.

He said minimum shelter arrangements had not been made for the displaced families. The governorate was working with municipal bodies, government institutions and ministries to arrange emergency accommodation and support for those affected by the demolitions in Biddu, al-Khatib said in the interview with Raya.