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Israeli forces keep demolishing refugee camps in West Bank
Israeli forces continue demolishing refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, with Tulkarem and Jenin heavily affected.
Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble, forcing displaced Palestinians into overcrowded shelters. Many see this as a second forced expulsion, with fears of further displacement.
In Jenin, authorities declared the camp uninhabitable, while Israel bars Tulkarem’s refugees from returning. Soldiers have taken over some Palestinian homes, with videos showing them inside.
Israel plans to extend its operations, targeting more camps. Palestinians say they face this crisis alone, as international response remains minimal.
The UN says this is the largest forced displacement campaign and most destructive military assault on the West Bank since 1967.
Israeli defence minister promises to crack down on Palestinian construction in the West Bank
More from Israel Katz, who has been in the occupied West Bank for the day. A statement from the defence minister’s office said that the Israeli government would not “allow [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to use illegal construction as a tool to create a strategic threat against the settlements”.
Israeli settlements are, of course, illegal under international law, even as they continue to grow under Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, which began in 1967. Palestinians are severely restricted by Israeli authorities from building new structures or even expanding existing ones on their land, forcing many to build without permits.
Since 2017 Israel has increased the number of structures it has demolished in the West Bank year-on-year, reaching 1,768 structures in 2024, according to the United Nations. Demolitions have led to the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.
Demolitions of Palestinian homes in West Bank set to hit all-time high in 2025
Today, Israel’s defence and finance ministers pledged to fight what they termed as “illegal Palestinian construction” in the occupied West Bank, which they say threatens Israeli strategic interests in expanding settlements.
This is being viewed as a declaration that the all-time high of home demolitions that we saw in 2024 will be topped in 2025, which really aligns with the pledges of this right-wing government.
European countries are condemning the illegality of these Israeli actions – the dispossession of Palestinians, the demolition of homes, the takeover of Palestinian land.
But what they are doing is almost cosmetic because when you sanction an Israeli settler but don’t sanction the Israeli government, that allows those settlers to carry out attacks, provides them with protection, and legislates the laws and decisions to allow the land grab. Then you’re essentially just avoiding the core of the problem.
Countries like Germany, France and others have repeatedly said that they consider Israeli settlements and the displacement of Palestinians to be illegal, but no action has been taken against that.
The organisation Peace Now is predicting that up to 50,000 new Israeli units in illegal settlements might be approved in 2025. That’s an all-time high. And we have to remember that for every Israeli settlement unit built in the occupied West Bank, there is a Palestinian home or Palestinian land that is either being demolished or taken over.
