RAMALLAH, January 11 (JMCC) - Israeli forces on Wednesday destroyed 17 structures, near the West Bank city of Hebron, officials report. The structures provided shelter for over 300 Bedouins in the area.

The shed-like structures had been set up in the village of Dakeka and 16 of them were used as homes, while the 17th was a classroom, said Oudah al-Najadah, the head of the local council.
Israel's military said it had torn down 13 temporary structures... that have recently been erected without permits.

The action was enforced after the completion of all the necessary legal processes, the military said in a statement, adding that troops had also removed five structures at a nearby Jewish settlement.

Najadah said three people were detained trying to stop the Dakeka demolitions, including a teacher attempting to rescue desks and equipment from the classroom.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which cares for Palestinian refugees, said in December that home demolitions increased in 2010, listing the destruction of 396 Palestinian structures in east Jerusalem and areas under full Israeli control in the West Bank.

That figure was up from 275 in 2009, and left 561 people including 280 children without a home, the agency said.

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