Alwaght - Over 500 rabbis from Israeli regime, Britain, the US and Canada have called on the Benjamin Netanyahu to stop demolishing Palestinian homes. Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) say Netanyahu's stance is against “international law and Jewish tradition, RT reported.
RHR's open letter came after the Israeli regime PM announced the destruction of over 400 Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, the territory known as Area C
"Thousands have been forced to build without permits, and great human suffering is caused when hundreds of homes are demolished each year in Area C alone," RHR stated in their letter, adding that Israeli regime planning and zoning laws "severely restrict the ability of Palestinians to build homes, even on the lands that the State recognizes as belonging to them".
According to the rabbis, there has been "no representation or true ability for Palestinians to determine how to properly plan for their communities since local and district planning committees were abolished in 1971. The army plans for them ."
In late January, the United Nations accused Israeli regime of illegally demolishing the homes of 77 Palestinians, including many children, in East Jerusalem and the districts of Ramallah, Jericho and Hebron .
“In the past three days, 77 Palestinians, over half of them children, have been made homeless,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement, adding that some of the demolished structures were provided by the international community to "support vulnerable families ."
“Demolitions that result in forced evictions and displacement run counter to Israel [regime’s] obligations under international law and create unnecessary suffering and tension. They must stop immediately,” the OCHA said.
According to the UN office, during 2014 Israeli regime carried out a record number of demolitions in East Jerusalem and Area C.
“The Israeli authorities destroyed 590 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East [Baitul-Maqdis], displacing 1,177 people — the highest level of displacement in the occupied West Bank since OCHA began systematically monitoring the issue in 2008 .”
While Israeli regime insists demolitions are carried out because homes are being built without construction permits, the UN's OCHA says the planning policies applied by Zionist authorities in Area C and Baitul-Maqdis "discriminate against Palestinians ."
Palestinians are trapped in a vicious circle, where they build without permits to later have their homes razed to the ground.
"Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met," the OCHA said.
During the 51-day attack Israeli regime killed 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children. During this war over 11,100, including 3,374 children, 2,088 women, and 410 elderly people were injured, the vast majority of them Hamas members or their families. 17,200 Gazan homes were totally destroyed or severely damaged, and 37,650 homes suffered damage. At least 520,000 Gazans (approximately 30% of its population) have been displaced.
It is not the first time that Jews all over the world condemn the Israeli regime's heinous crimes.In January 2014, for example, Jewish human rights group B’Tselem, condemned Israeli Regime's policy of targeting dozens of Palestinian homes during 51 offensives against Gaza – a strategy that led to hundreds of civilian deaths.
It is a sensitive time for Israeli regime following the announcement of an initial investigation by the international criminal court into whether war crimes were committed in Gaza. The specific policy of targeting residences could potentially be taken up by an ICC investigation.
