By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA): The Israeli army on Tuesday demolished two Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem and eight east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank,

In Silwan neighborhood, in East Jerusalem, the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem knocked down a house owned by Khaled al-Khales, witnesses said.

Israeli authorities demolished the home under the pretext of construction without a permit, according to the Palestinian WAFA News Agency.

In Sur Baher neighborhood, also in East Jerusalem, Mohammad Amira was forced to demolish his own home to avoid the heavy fines for the West Jerusalem municipality to demolish it.

Abd al-Rahim Musleh, a spokesman for the Wadi al-Siq residential community, east of Ramallah, told Anadolu Agency that an Israeli military force raided the area at dawn, and demolished eight barracks.

The demolished homes were built from tin panels, used for housing and raising sheep.

Musleh said the Israeli authorities usually demolish their homes in Wadi al-Siq under the pretext of “building without a permit” in area C.

Some 200 Palestinians live in Wadi al-Siq. They reside in tin houses and rely on raising sheep for living.

According to the Oslo Accords, signed between the Palestinian Authority and Israel in 1995, the West Bank was divided into 3 Areas A, B and C.

Areas A represent 18% of the West Bank and are controlled by the Palestinian Authority in terms of security and administration. Areas B represent 21% of the West Bank and are subject to Palestinian civil and Israeli security administration, while Area C, which represents 61% of the West Bank, is under the control of Israeli security and administration.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat

[Archive Photo: Palestinian family sitting at the debris of their home demolished by Israeli soldiers in Musafir Jenbach region of Hebron on 2 Februaaty 2016.  Photographer: Wisam Hashlamoun/AA]