Debt and trauma as Israel destroys Palestinian homes, businesses

Hundreds of Palestinian struggle to see a future as Israel demolishes homes and businesses in occupied territories.

Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem – Hundreds of Palestinian families are struggling to put their lives back together after their homes and businesses were demolished by Israeli authorities, either as collective punishment for operations carried out by relatives against the Israeli occupation or as part of Israel’s plans to change the demographics in occupied territory. The village of Thurmasiya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, is home to many expat American-Palestinians, with many ostentatious double-storey villas dotting the rolling valleys and hills of the village. Saneh Shalaby, 40, was able to move into the home in the village owned by her brother after hers was demolished by the Israeli authorities.