Israel demolishes Jordan valley village for fourth time

Israeli bulldozers demolished the Jordan Valley village of Makhoul for the fourth time overnight Wednesday, a local official said. Aref Daraghmeh, the mayor of al-Maleh and the Bedouin dwellings, told Ma'an that Israeli military forces arrived in the area at 2 am and seized two large tents and demolished several structures. Israeli forces issued demolition orders for tents re-built by local and international activists and demanded to know why construction had taken place in the village. Israel's army destroyed the entire village of Makhoul on Sept 16, forcibly displacing 10 families, including 16 children, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Despite being declared a closed military zone by Israel's military, activists have managed to enter the area and rebuild the structures destroyed by Israel. Days after the demolition, Israeli forces used force to disperse foreign diplomats distributing aid to residents of Makhoul. French diplomat Marion Fesneau-Castaing was dragged out of an aid truck by an Israeli soldier, who later confiscated the vehicle. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton's spokesman demanded an explanation from Israel following the confiscation of humanitarian aid. The Israeli military said Palestinians were to blame for instigating the incident. Israel has destroyed more than 500 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and mostly East Jerusalem since the beginning of this year, displacing 862 people, according to OCHA.