Israeli government accused of complicity as settlers demolish Jericho homes

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Palestinian residents in Ein al-Duyuk, on the southwestern edge of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, say Israeli settlers have demolished and further damaged homes, yards and farmland over recent months, deepening displacement and fear in the community. The article says the destruction followed an attack in February, when masked settlers from an outpost overlooking the area reportedly destroyed or damaged homes and drove families out. Residents say the same settler-backed bulldozer work resumed in July under the stated purpose of “clearing waste,” but in practice also buried rubble in front of homes and blocked access to properties.

The piece identifies settler Hanan Herbst as the figure leading the bulldozer operations, with Israeli soldiers accompanying him on each visit. It says residents, lawyers and activists contend that no formal demolition order was shown to affected families, and that attempts to stop the work through police, military and civil authorities produced little immediate result. A legal filing cited by Al Jazeera says the state described a pre-existing arrangement allowing settlers agricultural use of the land, which residents and rights groups see as evidence of an unusual overlap between settler activity and state authority.

Al Jazeera also notes that Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu visited the nearby archaeological site in February and made remarks that residents interpreted as encouraging destruction of Palestinian structures. The report matters because it links the demolitions to wider patterns of settlement expansion, land seizure and legal controversy in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian communities say their homes and livelihoods are being steadily eroded.