Palestinian officials have warned of “forced displacement”, citing security and “operational necessity”, after Israeli forces ordered a series of destructions in the occupied West Bank.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority for Refugee Affairs condemned Israeli authorities’ decision to demolish 25 houses in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarem as a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
Calling for the international community to intervene, the ministry said: “The systematic destruction of the Noor Shams camp will lead to the forced displacement of dozens of families as part of a plan aimed at imposing long-term control over the Palestinian camp, as part of a broader plan to empty it out of existence and annex the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
The demolition is expected to take place as early as December 18, Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s director for the West Bank, said in a post on X on Monday.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Tuesday that it had “ordered the destruction of several structures” in the camp “due to clear and necessary operational needs.”
Friedrich called this “devastating news” and said the 25 buildings “face imminent demolition” and that “hundreds of forced migrants” would be affected.
“This new demolition order fits a pattern we have seen all too often this year, in which Israeli security forces destroy homes and permanently alter the landscape to enable long-term control of camps in the northern West Bank,” Friedrich said.
The military order comes days after the Israeli cabinet approved the legalization and establishment of a number of settler outposts in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli officials familiar with the matter. The decision authorized 19 outposts across the West Bank, including two that were evacuated in the 2005 withdrawal plan.
In response to the decision, Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said: “The government is doing everything it can to solidify Israel’s presence in the territory and eliminate the possibility of a two-state future for peace and two peoples.”
The settlement is considered illegal by international law and much of the international community. According to Peace Now, Israel’s current right-wing government has established 68 settlements since the start of its term in 2023, marking a dramatic acceleration and expansion of settlement activity.
The Israeli military said the decision to demolish the building came after the area in the northern West Bank “has become an important center for terrorist activities operating from within densely populated civilian areas.”
“Therefore, earlier this week, the Civil Affairs Bureau informed residents that the IDF intends to destroy several structures in the Nur Shams area. Residents will be given the opportunity to evacuate their personal belongings,” the Israeli military added in a statement.
“The forced displacement of more than 32,000 Palestinian refugees in the northern West Bank must not become permanent. The population has been anxiously waiting for 11 months to return home. With each bulldozer strike, this hope grows further and further away,” Friedrich said.
The demolition comes amid continued Israeli military operations in refugee camps in the northern West Bank, including Nur Shams, Turkum and Jenin. Israel says the operation is aimed at dismantling Palestinian extremist networks and preventing attacks, while Palestinian officials and human rights groups say the measures collectively amount to forced removal and collective punishment.
