Don’t demolish my future! UNWRA: Demolitions and the threat of displacement are ruining people’s lives in the West Bank.

http://www.unrwa.org/stopdemolitions

Don’t demolish my future!

Demolitions and the threat of displacement are ruining people’s lives in the West Bank.

We want to put a stop to the devastating practice of demolition. We need your help!

The facts:

• Whole communities are living with the daily trauma and anxiety of losing their homes and livelihoods in Israeli-controlled East Jerusalem and Area C, which together make up more than 60 per cent of the West Bank.

• This year has seen a huge rise in the number of people displaced by demolitions. More than 800 people have been displaced in the first nine months alone, surpassing the entire number displaced in 2010 (594 people).

• In the rural West Bank, at least 3,000 outstanding demolition orders on homes and infrastructure affect tens of thousands of people.

• In East Jerusalem, at least 28 per cent of Palestinian homes are built without an Israeli permit, putting about 60,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem at risk of house demolitions.

• Under the Israeli zoning policy, Palestinians can build in just 13 per cent of East Jerusalem and in just 1 per cent of Area C. In both cases these areas are already heavily built-up, making obtaining a permit almost impossible.

• Demolitions devastate families and communities, increasing poverty and instability. This is compounded by the fact that demolitions often limit access to basic services, such as education, health care, water and sanitation, especially when infrastructure such as schools and water cisterns is targeted.

• The impact of home demolitions can be particularly devastating for children. Many show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. Their academic achievement often suffers.

• Many of the people affected by demolitions come from the most marginalised and vulnerable communities, and already live in poverty.

• In 2010, more than 10 per cent of people displaced by demolitions in East Jerusalem and Area C were refugees registered with UNRWA.

• Demolitions destroy more than bricks and mortar. Education, prosperity, health and security are all essential elements on which people build their lives and futures.

Join our campaign to support the demand of tens of thousands of Palestinians:

“Don’t demolish my future!”
Stop demolitions and displacement in the West Bank

To show your support:

1) Raise awareness

On Facebook

• Add a badge to your Facebook profile
  
  Adding the badge is easy and will take you less than a minute. Just follow the instructions below:
  1. Click on “Add to profile picture”
  2. Click on “Add to Facebook”
  3. You can move the badge around if you want to. When you happy with the way your profile picture looks with the badge click on “Publish to Facebook”
  4. Click on “Continue to Facebook”
  5. You can now crop your profile picture if you want to. Once you are happy with the way your profile picture is cropped click on “Finished cropping”
     
• Remember you can also add the badge to your Twitter account and invite your Facebook friends to add the badge to their Facebook profile.
• Share our demolition “fast fact” posts

On Twitter:

• Share our demolition “fast fact” tweets
• Spread the word with our #stopdemolitions Twitter tag

Get all the campaign updates by joining us on Facebook and Twitter.

2) Stay informed

• Find out more about demolitions in the West Bank and get the latest figures on our demolition watch section.
  
• Read all the latest media coverage at demolitions in the news.
  
• The OCHA report “Displacement and insecurity in Area C of the West Bank” (PDF) has detailed analysis of the current situation.

4) Support our demand that Israel meet its obligations under international law

• Immediately cease demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes, schools and infrastructure, which cause displacement and dispossession, until Palestinians have access to a fair and nondiscriminatory planning system. This should include community participation in all levels of the planning process.
  
• Families that have been forcibly displaced must be allowed to return to their homes in safety and dignity, and be given compensation for any harm they have suffered, including the destruction of land, homes and property.

The campaign so far