The Israeli government has begun demolishing a cluster of Palestinian homes it says were built illegally too close to the separation barrier in the occupied West Bank region of Sur Baher.

Hundreds of police and troops moved in to Sur Baher as bulldozers tore down structures, an action Palestinians describe as an attempt by Israel to grab West Bank land.

Israel’s High Court had rejected appeals against the demolition order, saying the homes had been put up within a no-build zone next to the barrier.

The barrier was built in and around the West Bank in the wake of the second Palestinian uprising which began in 2000.

Israel says the purpose of the demolition exercise is to prevent infiltration from the West Bank by potential Palestinian attackers.

The demolitions are particularly controversial because the homes, in the village of Wadi Hummus on the edge of Sur Baher are situated in part of the West Bank under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority but were built on the Israeli side of the barrier.

According to local media reports, the Palestinian government had granted permits for the structures to be built around 10 years ago.