Israeli forces Saturday notified two Palestinians of their intention to demolish their residential tents in Hebron's Masafer Yatta, an area that lies almost entirely in area C, under full Israeli control, according to a local activist. Coordinator of the popular committee against the wall and settlements in southern Hebron, Rateb al-Jabour, told WAFA that forces handed two brothers, who were identified as Ayed and Majed al-shwaheen, demolition notices for their residential tents, which, if implemented, would displace them and their families. He said that this Israeli measure aims to empty the area from its lawful Palestinian owners as a prelude to take over the land for the benefit of settlement expansion. Issuance of construction permits for Palestinians living in Area C, under full Israeli administrative and military control, is strictly limited, forcing Palestinians residing in such areas to embark on construction without obtaining a permit. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), between December 30, 2014 and January 12, 2015, the Israeli authorities demolished 27 Palestinian structures in Area C of the West Bank and five in East Al-Quds, in addition to two self demolition incidents, due to lack of Israeli-issued building permits.
