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The Israeli army demolished over 50 structures belonging to 22 Palestinian families living in the Hmayer area of Al Farisiye in the northern Jordan Valley on Monday (19/7). According to initial reports this includes around 22 residential tents and 30 other structures, including barracks that were used to shelter animals and store agricultural equipment.

The majority of the families in the area, having resided there since the 1970s, have now lost their main residencies and much of their personal belongings and agricultural equipment. The structures were demolished without the families being given the opportunity to remove personal items first. Almost the entire community has been affected.

Director of the Save the Jordan Valley campaign Fathi Khdeirat described the demolitions to Maan News as an "Israeli policy of collective displacement, aimed at expanding settlement outposts in the northern Jordan Valley.”

According to the Israeli military, the structures were demolished because they are located in an area designated as a "closed military area", though areas with that particular distinction cover around 18% of the West Bank. This includes much of the Jordan Valley, excluding, however, the Israeli settlements in the area. The demolitions come in the wake of recent threats by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to step up enforcement against "illegally" built Palestinian structures in the West Bank.

The Israeli Civil Administration has received government orders to increase enforcement against illegal Palestinian construction in Area C of the West Bank, according to a deposition by an administration official to the High Court, reported a recent article in the Israeli news daily Haaretz.

"The Defense Ministry has given instructions to step up enforcement against illegally built Palestinian structures, giving priority to structures that pose a security threat," the state said in its response to the court.

A defense source said that this mostly applies to structures close to roads in the Jordan Valley and Mount Hebron.

A December 2009 report issued by the UN's Office for Humanitarian and Coordination Affairs (OCHA) said that "in almost the entirety of the Jordan Valley, Palestinian construction is prohibited."

It is almost impossible for Palestinian families and communities to obtain Israeli building permits to maintain, repair or construct homes, animal shelters or necessary infrastructure in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank.

According to OCHA, Palestinian construction is effectively prohibited in 70% of Area C and heavily restricted in the remaining 30%. Palestinians are only allowed to build in what constitutes 1% of Area C, much of which is built up already.

As a result, most of Palestinian residents have no choice but to build "illegally" and risk demolitions and displacement.

For more information on this issue, please see "Restricting space: The Planning Regime Applied by Israel in Area C of the West Bank available at www.ochaopt.org.