UN: Israel has denied 94% of requests for West Bank building permits
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A UN agency said that Israel has denied 94 percent of Palestinian requests for building permits in West Bank areas under its full control.
Tuesday's report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also said that more than 3,000 Israeli demolition orders are pending against Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank.
The report says 10 small communities are at risk of being almost entirely displaced by demolitions.
The report deals with the 62 percent of the West Bank where Israel retains administrative control. OCHA says that from 2000 to 2007, Israel denied 94 percent of requests for building permits in this area.
Israeli officials had no immediate comment.