Israel eyes Palestinian home demolition in Area B

The village location is complex as it is located in both areas A, B and C.

An IDF bulldozer demolishes a building near the security barrier in Waddi Hummus. July 22, 2019. (photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)
An IDF bulldozer demolishes a building near the security barrier in Waddi Hummus. July 22, 2019.
(photo credit: AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS)
The IDF issued a demolition order for a home under construction in the West Bank village of Wadi Hummus, in an area that is technically under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority, according the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Israel has oversight with respect to Palestinian construction in Area C of the West Bank, which is under IDF military and civilian control.
According to WAFA, the Palestinian homeowners had obtained a license from the PA Local Government Ministry.
The village of Wadi Hummus is unusual in that it’s located partially within sovereign Israel, such a section of it lies within the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Bahir. The remainder of the village is located in the West Bank in Areas A, B and C. To make matters even more complicated the security barrier runs through the village placing some of the West Bank areas of the village within the barrier.
A casual visitor to the village would have a hard time discerning the dividing line between Jerusalem and the West Bank options of the village located within the barrier’s route.
In the summer of 2019 the IDF demolished 12 Wadi Hummus structures in various states of construction.
The buildings that were razed were on land that fell under the auspices of the PA as they were located in Areas A and B.
Israel had argued that the structures must be razed because they were too close to the security barrier.