Israel hands demolition orders to Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem

Israeli authorities have handed notices to several Palestinian families in the Qalandia refugee camp in occupied Jerusalem.

A number of Palestinian families on Thursday have been told their homes will be demolished under the pretext of construction without an Israeli permit, according to the Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa.

The refugees are survivors of the 1948 war that triggered Israel's creation, referred to as the Nakba or "Catastrophe" by Palestinians.

At least 700,000 Palestinians that were expelled from their villages took refuge in nearby countries, or other Palestinian provinces, where they have established refugee camps that continue to stand stand today. 

It is estimated that around 100,000 Palestinians from the villages directly targeted by Israeli militias fled to other parts of Palestine, such as Gaza, Beersheba, Haifa, Nazareth, Nablus, Jaffa and Bethlehem.

Illegal occupation

Israel took over mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

It now considers the entire city its capital, citing the Jewish historical and biblical connection there.

The Palestinians see east Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, as the capital of their future state.

Some 320,000 Palestinians live in east Jerusalem, while the Israeli settler population there has grown to 210,000.

The area Area C of the occupied West Bank, where planning and construction are entirely controlled by the Israeli Civil Administration

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three: area A, area B and area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority. Area B's administration is controlled by the PA, with Israel controlling security. Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.

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