Ramallah/PNN/

Today, Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah condemned Israel’s demolitions of houses in the village of Umm Al Khair, located in the South Hebron Hills.

“Israel is relentlessly destroying Palestinians’ homes and livelihoods in order to make way for more illegal settlements,” Hamdallah said. “Once again, I call on the international community to step in and stop Israel’s ongoing violations of international law.”

This morning, Israeli authorities destroyed five homes in Umm Al Khair, leaving four Palestinian families homeless. The demolished residential sheds belong to several members of the al-Hathaleen family, and have been previously demolished eight times. Three of the demolished structures were funded by the European Union.

“With every demolition, the Netanyahu government shows its true intent, that it is not interested in peace. At the same time, the morbid silence of the international community emboldens Israeli authorities to keep committing these acts of injustice,” said Jamal Dajani, Director of Strategic Communications & Media at the Prime Minister’s Office.

In recent years, the village of Umm Al Khair has been demolished repeatedly. The last demolition took place in April 2016, when Israeli tanks demolished six homes and agricultural facilities, without prior warning. Meanwhile, other Palestinian villages, such as Susiya and Duqaiqah are under imminent threat of demolition and expulsion by Israel.