Six houses and a small council building were destroyed by Israeli army bulldozers today in two villages east of the southern West Bank town of Bethlehem, Palestinian security sources said.
They said the owners had not obtained the necessary construction permits from Israel in the area, which is under partial army control.
One house was destroyed in the village of Zaatara and six, including one housing the village's municipality, in Beit Taamar, the sources said.
Clashes broke out between the army and house owners, slightly injuring three Palestinians, when soldiers responded to stone throwing with teargas and plastic bullets, Palestinian sources said.
The houses were next to a bypass road used by Jewish settlers and near the 1948 armistice line that separates Israel and the West Bank.
Thirty more houses have been earmarked for destruction, the sources said. The Israeli army did not confirm the information.
AFP