In the southwestern section of Jericho known as Ein al-Duyuk, Palestinian homes have been systematically demolished and buried, leaving only rubble and severed infrastructure. Residents describe a pattern of destruction that began in February and resumed in July, with an Israeli settler identified as Hanan Herbst operating excavators on a near-daily basis while escorted by soldiers.
The initial demolitions occurred on February 10, following a social media post by Israel’s Heritage Minister at a nearby archaeological site designated for a “Judeo-centric” heritage park network. Residents and activists characterized the event as a coordinated attack in which dozens of masked settlers descended on the area over eight hours, destroying homes, displacing families, and seizing property. Two Palestinian communities were affected: a Bedouin settlement housing roughly 100 people from the Kaabneh tribe, and a neighborhood of villa-style homes. According to residents, 13 homes in the Bedouin compound were demolished, along with three homes in the neighboring community.
Following a period of relative calm marked by thefts and property damage, demolition activities resumed on July 19 under the stated purpose of clearing rubble. However, residents and lawyers argue the work has extended far beyond debris removal, damaging and destroying additional structures, orchards, and gardens. Soldiers maintain a closed perimeter, citing security concerns, while no official demolition orders have been provided to affected residents.
Legal filings obtained by media outlets reveal that Israeli state authorities authorized Herbst’s activities through a March 2025 agreement with the Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization to cultivate designated land for agriculture. The Civil Administration approved a May request to clear “building waste” without acknowledging that settlers themselves caused the initial demolitions. A military brigade commander authorized armed escorts for Herbst’s work. Legal observers contend this arrangement circumvents court injunctions protecting several Palestinian homes from demolition, effectively deputizing a private settler to accomplish what the military could not do directly under judicial oversight.
Displaced residents have relocated to rented accommodations elsewhere, unable to access their properties safely. Lawyers have filed emergency petitions at Israel’s High Court challenging the demolitions and the state’s role in facilitating them, characterizing the situation as a breakdown of legal processes separating civilian settler activities from state authority.
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