The demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israeli authorities in the West Bank "increased dramatically" last year, forcing at least a thousand people to flee their homes, announced UN’s Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories Mr Maxwell Gaylard yesterday, urging Israel to put an immediate end to this kind of actions. " Israel, as the occupying power, has a fundamental responsibility to protect the Palestinian civilian population under its control and to ensure their dignity and well-being," he said in a
statement.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 622 houses that belonged to Palestinian families were demolished in 2011 forcing 1,100 people, half among these children, to leave their homes, while tens of thousands are threatened with the same fate.

On Thursday he visited  the village of Anata, close to Jerusalem, where seven Palestinian houses were demolished. There, the UN officials got informed  that diggers and soldiers had arrived at the night of January 23 and 52 citizens - 29 of which  were children - were expelled from homes.

The UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next week in an effort to promote the resumption of peace talks.

A few days ago, a three-week long round of meetings that took place in Amman, Jordan, between Saeb Erekat and Isaac Molkho, the Palestinia and Israeli negotiators, ended without leading to a resumption in negotiations or any other steps forward for the political process. The UN hopes to turn the tables to a positive way with the help of the EU and the Arab League.

We just hope that this time the efforts for peace will succeed unlike all the previous ones. For both sides and for the sake of their people.