Middle East (Palestine and Israel)
Since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel has demolished thousands of Palestinian homes, in violation of both human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Demolitions have been carried out as collective punishment; to clear land surrounding the illegal settlements, bypass roads and the Wall; in the course of military incursions; and for “administrative reasons”.
In occupied East Jerusalem, there are well-founded concerns that demolitions of Palestinian homes, along with the continued expansion of illegal Jewish settlements, are part of a policy to change the demographics of the city.
The right to water and sanitation is routinely violated by Israel when it comes to the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including through Israel’s systematic destruction of wells and other water and sewage infrastructure, Israel’s denial of infrastructure construction and maintenance, unequal extraction and discriminatory distribution of water resources to the detriment of the Palestinians, over-pumping of ground water resources and Israel’s dumping of waste materials in the OPT, which has contaminated natural resources.
In the West Bank, a large number of rural communities are un-served by water and sewage networks and the Israeli occupation authorities have prevented the construction of new water and sewage infrastructure and the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure.
In Gaza, the blockade imposed by Israel and repeated military incursions have caused a severe humanitarian crisis and the water and sanitation sector is on the brink of collapse. Israel's prevention of entry of materials necessary for water and sanitation infrastructure construction and maintenance and limited supplies of fuel and electricity have led to the periodic cessation of water and sanitation services and facilities. This has caused a severe lack of water for residents in many parts of the Gaza Strip and has led to sewage flooding residential areas on a number of occasions, putting the health of local residents at risk.
In Israel, 93 percent of land is held for the exclusive use and benefit of the Jewish people by the State. Discriminatory policies and practices against the Palestinian and Bedouin populations of Israel have a severe negative impact on the realisation of rights to land, housing, water and sanitation by these groups.
Much of this land has been expropriated and confiscated from Palestinians since the creation of the State of Israel, through laws such as the 1950 Absentee Property Law which has been applied to seize land where its owners are displaced. Those displaced by such laws and policies have been denied their right to return and right to restitution and are therefore subject to continuing violation of their human rights. In 2007, there were approximately 7 million Palestinian refugees and around 450,000 Palestinians internally displaced within the State of Israel.
There is a complete lack of parity in the living conditions between Palestinian citizens of Israel (20% of the population) and Jewish citizens of Israel.
Related Documents
November 01 2011
Report by COHRE partner, the Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling, regarding the experiences of women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
November 01 2010
Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee
September 02 2010
Israel’s violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with regard to house demolitions, forced evictions and safe water and sanitation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. Submitted June 2010.
July 07 2010
The impact of Israel’s illegal Wall in the occupied Palestinian territory on the human rights of the Palestinian people, five years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice.
July 08 2009
El impacto del Muro ilegal de Israel en el territorio Palestino ocupado sobre los derechos humanos de los palestinos, cinco años después de la Opinión Consultiva del Tribunal Penal Internacional.
July 08 2009
A history of the legally sanctioned Jewish-Israeli seizure of land and housing in Palestine.
April 30 2005
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