The United Nations weekly report on Palestine reports that Israeli army bulldozers had demolished 586 Palestinian buildings, evicting 800 people, in the first 15 weeks of 2016 – four times the rate of demolitions and evictions last year.
| 2015 | 2016 so far* | annual rate | |
| Buildings demolished | 531 | 586 | + 383% |
| People evicted | 688 | 800 | + 403% |
| *Jan 1 – Apr 18 |
Middle East minister Tobias Ellwood confirmed in a reply to Labour MP Richard Burden (see below) that the demolitions are “in all but the most exceptional cases contrary to international humanitarian law”.
What is the UK government’s response to these breaches of international law? It is that “we regularly raise this issue with our Israeli counterparts”. But of course they have been raising this issue with their Israeli counterparts for years – in fact decades – and the outcome is that they not only continue but accelerate.
Palestine Briefing 