Israeli forces demolish Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, West Bank

Israeli forces destroyed Palestinian homes in occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday.

Israeli bulldozers demolished a Palestinian home and barn in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Al-Isawiya, according to local sources who spoke to the The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

In the village of Nilin, west of Ramallah, a house that was still under construction was demolished after Israeli soldiers raided the village, the Palestinian Authority's Wafa news agency reported.

The structures were demolished under the pretext of the owners not having a permit.

Israeli occupation forces also handed eight Palestinians from the village of Jalboun, east of Jenin a notice to halt the construction of a house and gave another Palestinian a notice to demolish their own home within a period of 96 hours.

If Palestinians refuse to follow Israeli orders of demolishing their own home, Israeli authorities often demolish homes and hit owners with a hefty fine as punishment.

With Israel refusing to recognise traditional forms of Palestinian home and land ownership, Palestinians have resorted to applying for building permits from Israeli authorities to make ownership of their own land official.

Israel's frequent refusal to grant permits essentially means it refuses to recognise Palestinians' rights to their own homes in the occupied territory.

The cost of a permit for a single home is estimated to be in the region of $30,000.

The extortionate prices for building permits, which are unaffordable for most Palestinians, creates a legal loophole for Israel to annex more land and prevent Palestinians from developing infrastructure.

The West Bank, which has been occupied by Israeli forces since the 1967 Six-Day war, is home to nearly 600,000 Israeli settlers.