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STATISTICS ON HOUSE DEMOLITIONS (1967-2007)ICAHD estimates that some 19,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished in theOccupied Territories since 1967,

based on information gleaned from the Israeli Ministryof Interior, the Jerusalem Municipality, the Civil Administration, OCHA and other UNsources, Palestinian human rights groups, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watchand other sources.

Types of demolitions

Punitive demolitions:

Houses demolished as punishment for the actions of people associated with the houses. This policy was ended by the IDF in February,2005, after it reached the conclusion that rather than deterring attacks, punitivedemolitions only enflame the people and lead to more attacks. Althopugh this isthought of by most people as the main reason why houses are demolished, in fact punitive demolitions account for only 5% of overall demolitions.

Administrative demolitions:

Houses demolished for lack of a building permit.This happens in Area C and in East Jerusalem, under exclusive Israeli authority,though prior to the existence of Areas A, B & C it occurred in other areas as well.It is important to point out that in almost all cases, Palestinians have no choice butto build "illegally" as permits will not be granted. It is also the case that in Area B,if a house is in close proximity to a military base or a road used by the military or settlers, it may also face administrative demolition. This type of demolitionaccounts for approximately 35% of demolitions overall.

Military demolitions:

Houses demolished by the IDF in the course of militaryoperations, whereby houses are demolished arbitrarily (there being no connection between the demolition and the perpetrators of an attack) in their hundreds: 350-500 in the Jenin refugee camp in 2002, for example, or some 1500 in Rafah in thesame period. Houses are also demolished on top of wanted suspects as part of Israel’s policy of targeted assassination, and also to clear off a piece of land – to build a road, to create a security perimeter and the like. Military demolitionaccount for about 65% of overall demolitions.

Numbers of demolitions