Demolition Threat: The Battle Over Aida Camp Soccer Field

Israeli authorities have ordered the demolition of a soccer field in the Aida refugee camp, a rare recreational space for Palestinian children, citing illegal construction near a barrier wall. The decision has been met with international criticism and is viewed as part of a broader effort to annex the West Bank.

Israeli authorities have ordered the demolition of a soccer field in the densely populated Aida refugee camp, located in the occupied West Bank, resulting in the loss of one of the few available play spaces for Palestinian children. 'If the field gets demolished, this will destroy our dreams and our future,' said 13-year-old Rital Sarhan, a player on the girls' soccer team in the camp near Bethlehem.

The Israeli military issued the demolition order on December 31, claiming the field was built illegally along a concrete barrier wall. 'Along the security fence, a seizure order and a construction prohibition order are in effect; therefore, the construction in the area was carried out unlawfully,' stated the Israeli military.

Mohammad Abu Srour, an administrator at Aida Youth Center, which oversees the field, revealed that they were given seven days to demolish the field themselves, a common practice by the Israeli military toward Palestinians. Widespread international criticism has arisen over these actions, viewed by many as part of a coordinated effort by Israel to formally annex the West Bank, an area grabbed during the 1967 Middle East war.

(With inputs from agencies.)