Associated Press | International Herald Tribune

Israel has ordered the demolition of 35 homes in a West Bank village for being built without permits, a lawyer said 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.

That army branch, called the Civil Administration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case.

According to the Hague Convention, Israel as the occupier of the West Bank must allow for construction, by developing an overall plan itself and issuing permits, Toussia-Cohen said.

Aqabe residents said Tuesday that they were expecting the houses would be demolished any day.

“Where can our children go?” asked municipal council leader Sami Sadeq. “How can we give them land? How can they live?”

Palestinians under Israeli control have long complained that Israel rarely issues building permits, forcing them to build or expand their homes without official permission.