Palestinian ministry condemns Bedouin community demolition near Jerusalem
Half of the community's structures were razed, and demolition notices were issued for all remaining buildings, the ministry said.
Israeli forces have demolished about half of the Bedouin community of Bir al-Maskub east of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday.
The ministry said the demolitions destroyed four residential clusters and other structures, displacing residents, and that demolition notices were distributed for all remaining structures.
The community lies within the area targeted by the E1 settlement plan, the ministry noted.
The ministry warned that the demolitions mark a shift from the planning stage to the actual implementation of the E1 plan on occupied Palestinian land, including Jerusalem.
It said the move could signal wider demolitions targeting other Bedouin communities in the area.
The ministry accused Israel's caretaker government of accelerating the plan during the country's transitional period, saying the measures aim to fragment the West Bank and separate East Jerusalem from Palestinian areas.
It said the measures violate international law, international humanitarian law and relevant international resolutions, and undermine the two-state solution.
The ministry called on the international community and the US administration to take immediate action to halt the demolitions and prevent further targeting of Bedouin communities in the E1 area.
Israel approved the E1 plan in 2025, a project that would build settlement housing between East Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim settlement and has drawn wide international criticism.
Palestinian and international critics say settlement expansion in the area would make a contiguous Palestinian state harder to achieve.