April 30, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 23, 1429

NABLUS, April 29: Israel has ordered the demolition of 35 homes in a West Bank village for being built without permits, a lawyer said on Tuesday.

This followed Sunday’s rejection by the Israel’s Supreme Court of a petition by residents to prevent the demolition of the homes built since Israel captured the West Bank in 1967.

The court ruled the 300 residents of the village of Aqabe near Jenin should have had an approved overall building plan for the village before they began construction. “The residents chose to build on land that is designated for agricultural use, and this is not acceptable,” the three-judge panel wrote in its decision.

A lawyer for the residents of the village, Eli Toussia-Cohen, said the buildings slated for demolition include a health clinic, mosque and nursery school.

The branch of the Israeli military that deals with civilian affairs has not approved an overall construction plan for Aqabe, Toussia-Cohen said. Such a plan is a prerequisite for the approval of individual houses, he said.—AP