Israeli authorities demolished nearly half of a Palestinian Bedouin community in an area designated for the E1 project east of occupied Jerusalem. The operation on Tuesday displaced about 20 residents and threatened the rest of the population with eviction, three Israeli rights groups said.
Ir Amim, Bimkom and Peace Now released a joint statement warning that Israeli forces destroyed four residential compounds in Bir Al-Maskub. The destroyed properties included homes, kitchens and sanitation facilities located within the controversial settlement expansion zone.
Authorities also renewed demolition orders dating back to 2008 for all remaining structures in the area. This decision places the entire community at immediate risk of displacement.
The organisations said these demolitions were the first known to target Bedouin communities within the E1 zone. They raised concerns that other Palestinian communities would face similar actions.
The operation marked a shift from planning procedures to implementing concrete measures on the ground. The rights groups warned this was the start of a broader campaign to remove Palestinian Bedouin communities from land earmarked for settlement expansion, despite ongoing legal challenges.
The E1 project involves constructing 3,401 settlement housing units between occupied East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement. Critics stated that the plan would sever Palestinian territorial links between the northern and southern West Bank and undermine prospects for a viable Palestinian state.
The demolished structures sat more than one kilometre from residential areas of Ma’ale Adumim. The rights groups argued this distance undermined Israeli claims that the demolitions were motivated by local planning needs.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the Bir Al-Maskub demolitions, warning that they signalled a dangerous transition from planning to implementation. The ministry accused Israel’s outgoing government of exploiting the political transition following last month’s election to accelerate settlement construction and impose irreversible changes on the ground.
The ministry stated that the measures violated international law and threatened to fragment the West Bank. It called on the international community and the US administration to intervene immediately to halt the demolitions and prevent displacement.
Separately, Israeli authorities announced two new tenders for 91 settlement housing units in Oranit, built on land in the Qalqilya governorate. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission stated that bidding for these projects would open in mid-November.
