22 houses and 33 buildings for livestock demolished, 55 in total. 130 people live in al-Mayta, with around 37 individuals in demolished al-Maleh.

17th January – At around nine this morning, the demolition order imposed on the villages of Hamamat al-Malih and Al-Mayta were carried out by the Israeli army, police and balaclava-clad workers. In al-Malih, five houses were destroyed, and in al-Mayta, eighteen, displacing seventeen families. Another 33 structures used for keeping livestock, and therefore the livelihood of these communities, were demolished.

Two busloads of soldiers, a number of jeeps and three JCB bulldozers descended from the military base and Maskiyot settlement complex, which overlooks al-Malih. The operation commenced from three points simultaneously, from two points in Al-Malih, and further up the valley in Al-Mayta.

Upon arrival, the army declared al-Malih a closed military zone, and refused entry to residents, observers and a delegation of medical staff whilst the demolitions took place. The masked, unidentifiable workers accompanying them assisted in removing possessions from resident’s homes.

Amongst the destruction, purposefully wrecked water tanks were found. In a region of the West Bank where water is deliberately made scarce for Palestinians,

Al-Malih and Al-Mayta are two marginalized villages located in the north of the Jordan Valley, near the Tayasir checkpoint. Residents were given notice of the imminent demolition order.

They have been subject to repeated demolition orders and only two weeks ago were forced to leave their homes for one night, purportedly due to Israeli military training.