From my UN source.
Note a couple things. The water cisterns. Thirty of them; the Israelis are starving these people out. And note the “self-demolitions” by Palestinians served with demolition orders. Oh the pity. And Jeffrey Goldberg says that self-immolation is the symbol of the Arab condition. What about self-demolition under the heel of a tyrannical fear-producing authority?
Here is a near final version of demolition summary for 2010. Over 430 Palestinian structures, including homes, animal shelters and water cisterns, were demolished throughout the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2010, rendering almost 600 people homeless, half of them children. Another 14,000 Palestinians were otherwise affected, when parts of their homes or the source of their livelihood was demolished.
Most demolitions (353) took place in Area C, with 478 Palestinians left homeless. And 13,847 affected owing to partial demolitions of their homes, infrastructure or sources of livelihood. This included, in particular, demolitions of almost 30 water pools or cisterns, which provided the affected communities with water. The West Bank has suffered repeated periods of drought, and so these demolitions often have devastating impact on already impoverished communities.
In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolished at least 68 Palestinian structures. In addition, at least 7 homes and 3 other structures were self-demolished by Palestinian families that received demolition orders from Israeli authorities, bringing the total of demolished structures in East Jerusalem to 78. Most demolitions were carried out either by the Jerusalem Municipality or by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority. As a result, 116 people, more than half of them children (69) lost their homes and became displaced, with additional 289 being otherwise affected.
Compared to 2009, there has been a 60% increase in the number of demolitions by Israeli authorities of Palestinian structures (430 vs. 275) in the course of the year. This significant increase in demolitions of Palestinian homes and sources of livelihood has taken place at the same time as the expansion of Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank has continued apace, with work beginning on over 1700 new housing units for Israeli settlers in the last 3 months of 2010 (says Peace Now).
No housing projects for Palestinians have been approved or implemented during that time and it remains next to impossible for Palestinians to obtain Israeli-issued building permits, whether in East Jerusalem or Area C.
This includes not only the building of new homes, but also the repair and maintenance of existing structures, such as the cleaning of water cisterns.
