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Fara’on suffers fresh house demolitions as Occupation Forces invade village
Latest News, Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, February 27th, 2007

Occupation Forces invaded Fara’on village, south of Tulkarem on 27 February, entering from the south at midday. A total of 12 military jeeps and four bulldozers accompanied the Soldiers who took part in the assault upon six Palestinian properties, located some few metres away from the Apartheid Wall which the Occupation has constructed on the village land.

Occupation Soldiers declared the area to be a closed military zone and blocked villagers from reaching their houses. The community gathered in the area to try and halt the demolition, carried out under the oft-used pretext of “building permits”. Clashes erupted and well equipped Occupation Forces pumped teargas and sound bombs into the crowd who responded with stones.

During the clashes two children were arrested while they defended their community: Muhammad Rushdi, 14 and Mahmous Ali abu Shakra, 17. The six Palestinian properties reduced to rubble belonged to Mufid Bideir and the six members of his family, Muhammad Salem and his family of five, the Omar and al-Farkh families totaling 7 members each, and the house belonging to Shaker Bideir and his wife.

The houses were under construction and nearing completion when the demolitions took place, and were homes for a total of 25 people in the community. The pretext for the rampage was the familiarly cited lack of “building permits”, a tactic used to implement the wider plan of destruction in Palestinian communities to stimulate fresh exodus. Currently, the Occupation has put at least 4656 houses from across the West Bank under demolition order.