Israeli forces have yet again demolished several Palestinian-owned shops in the town of Hizma, east of the occupied al-Quds.
On Monday, Israeli military bulldozers, under the protection of troops, razed the shops, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.
An army force sealed off the entrance to the area before proceeding to demolish several shops, the report said.
A number of Palestinian-owned workshops had been demolished in the same area a year ago.
Israel routinely destroys Palestinian homes and structures under the pretext that they lack construction permits which are next to impossible to obtain.
Demolishing Palestinian structures as collective punishment is another extreme measure that Israel has employed against the Palestinians.
Punitive house demolitions have become a regular practice since 1967 after Israel extended its occupation to the West Bank and East al-Quds.
By definition, this is intended to harm people who have done nothing illegal and are not suspected of any wrongdoing; they just happen to be related to someone who has, in most cases allegedly, attacked or attempted to attack Israelis.
Despite international outcry over the illegal practice, Israelis keep on pressing ahead with the harsh policies to date.
Palestinians say the regime’s demolition drive is aimed at making room for illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The Israeli regime has stepped up its illegal settlement construction activities in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which pronounces settlements in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds “a flagrant violation under international law.”
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since 1967.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
