Fact Sheet House Demolition and Land Confiscation Throughout the decades of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, a major and destructive component of Israeli policy towards the Palestinian population of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip has been the limitation and control of Palestinian demographics and territoriality through house demolition and land confiscation. Palestinians have been left with little room for the accommodation of their natural population growth, since Israel has placed severe restrictions on the availability of land on which Palestinians are able to build. Palestinians are unjustly prohibited by Israel to build in approximately 60% of the West Bank, 40% of the Gaza Strip, and 87% of Jerusalem. These figures reflect a strikingly discriminatory policy towards Palestinians; particularly in light of the flexibility enjoyed by Israelis in the establishment of Jewish settlements in “Occupied Palestinian Territories” which are, in any case, in grave breach of various internationally binding rules and regulations. Israel has created different building regulations for Palestinians and Israelis. These regulations are clearly biased towards the interests of the latter. The frequent refusal of Israeli authorities to grant construction permits to Palestinians who wish to build on privately owned land has left the latter with no choice but to take extreme risks in building regardless of Israeli approval. Such risks are, more often than not, followed by sweeping Israeli bulldozers. Hundreds of Palestinian homes are demolished every year. Since 1987, more than 2,500 homes have been demolished on the basis that they were not supported by the required construction permits. Since 1967, Israel has confiscated almost 750,000 acres of land from the 1.5 million acres comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip. These illegal actions have come under continuous attack from various international bodies and organizations, as well as governments, most prominently United Nations Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions. Israel has destroyed agricultural and fertile Palestinian land in order to pave the way for the illegal construction of Israeli settlements. This policy raises grave political concerns, in addition, it has serious ramifications on the agriculture-based Palestinian economy. Furthermore, such measures are clear indications of Israel’s disregard for the most basic environmental concerns. The destruction of Palestinian land has left many peasants in destitute economic conditions. The clearing of land for settlements is destroying crops on which Palestinian peasants are dependent; this Israeli policy has led to a significant loss of income to an already deprived Palestinian peasant community. Furthermore, this decrease in agriculture-generated income has caused a significant transformation of many Palestinian peasants into “cheap labor” for Israeli industry. Israel's policy of illegal annexation and incorporation of Palestinian land through settlements and the bypass roads by which they are connected, is an ongoing concern; there are presently 12 new bypass roads being constructed throughout the West Bank. Israel is in violation of all pertinent international conventions; most significantly the 4th Geneva Convention which clearly prohibits the occupying power from making permanent changes that are not, in the first place, intended to benefit the population of the occupied. During the first 6 months of 1999 alone, Israel confiscated 10,024 dunums of land for the purpose of settlements and their infrastructure, and a total of 14,678 dunums have been leveled in order to facilitate the further expansion of settlements and bypass road construction. Furthermore, 2,265 trees have been uprooted during that period, and a total of 34 Palestinian homes have been illegally and unjustly demolished in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. These violations entirely prevent the achievement of a just and lasting peace; Israel's confiscation of land and demolition of homes are clear acts of aggression that are threatening the stability of the whole region. Such violations are a direct threat to peace, and their continuation will almost certainly plant seeds for further conflict.