UN condemns demolition of Bedouin homes in Israel
UN agencies denounce Israeli authorities' reported eviction of 21 homes in north, east Jerusalem
UN agencies in the West Bank said on Sunday that Israel destroyed 21 homes of Bedouins last week, making 54 people including 35 children homeless.
A joint statement from the refugee agency UNRWA and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs condemned the April 18 demolition of the structures at Khalayleh north of Jerusalem, along with the removal the same day of refugees from two houses in east Jerusalem.
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"The forced eviction of Palestine refugees and the demolition of Palestinian homes and other civilian structures in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is contrary to international law," UNRWA's West Bank director, Felipe Sanchez, said in the statement.
"We urge the Israeli authorities to find an immediate solution to enable the Palestinian population of the occupied West Bank, to lead a normal life, in full realization of their rights", he added.
Israeli officials could not immediately confirm or deny the Khalayleh demolitions.
The European Union on Saturday condemned the east Jerusalem eviction, in which 14 Palestinians were removed from two houses in the Beit Hanina neighborhood ahead of Jewish settlers moving in.
The EU's diplomatic missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah said in a statement that they were "deeply concerned by the plans to build a new settlement in the midst of this traditional Palestinian neighborhood."
"Settlements are illegal under international law," it added.
Israeli police evicted the Natshe family from their Beit Hanina homes after Jewish settlers won a court battle over ownership.
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