Berlin [Germany], August 27: German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan on Tuesday visited Arab-majority areas in the West Bank under threat from Israeli settlement and housing policies, as she made her inaugural trip to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories.
"It is important for us to see what is happening here," Reem Alabali Radovan said after visiting a destroyed house in the village of Al Judaira in the occupied West Bank.
Germany has "closed its eyes in recent years" to the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the territory, said German lawmaker Adis Ahmetovic, who accompanied the minister.
Local resident Mohammed Abdelhamid Eid, 51, showed the visitors the ruins of his house, which, according to UN staff, was demolished by the Israeli civil administration on August 4.
He tried for four years to obtain a permit to build a house on his property without success before starting construction, continually asking for permission, but never receiving a reliable answer.
The mechanic, his wife and their 10-year-old daughter Tulien have not yet digested the shock. "I only had 15 minutes to pack my things," said the child. "When my uncles came to help us, they pointed their guns at my uncles."
Bediako Buahene from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) explained that the destruction of homes and community facilities in the Palestinian territories does not follow a clear pattern.
The atmosphere was tense as the delegation talked to members of Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa's Cabinet in Ramallah, with Israeli soldiers conducting a raid in the city centre that resulted in dozens of injuries.
Source: Qatar Tribune
