JERUSALEM, May 28, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli police Saturday delivered demolition notices for at least two Palestinian houses in Silwan town, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, said WAFA correspondent.
Israeli police along with staff from the so-called Jerusalem Municipality raided the Silwan neighborhood of Ein al-Louza, where they handed notices to demolish the houses of Muhammad Abu Tayeh and Sha‘ban Abu Tayeh.
Israel has systematically targeted Palestinian residential structures in Silwan with demolition orders.
In February, so-called Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem issued demolition orders for a number of Palestinian residential structures in this neighborhood. Among them was a four-apartment building belonging to Nehad Al-Abbasi, with each apartment occupying 110 square meters.
In April, demolition orders were also issued for five Palestinian houses in this neighborhood. According to a Report on Israeli Colonization Activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem, three of the targeted houses belong to Mohammad Talal Halisi (110 square meters house within a building consist of three floors, and the targeted house is one the 3rd one), Abbas Al-‘Awar (100 square meters house), and Musa Abu-Tayha (60 square meters house).
Despite filing applications, Palestinians in the West Bank, especially East Jerusalem and Area C, are rarely granted construction permits by Israeli authorities. As a result, they are forced to embark on construction without obtaining rarely-granted permits.
Israel frequently utilizes the lack of construction permits as a pretext for demolishing Palestinian houses.
Many humanitarian and legal bodies have maintained that Israel have been adopting planning policies discriminatory against Palestinians in West Bank Area C and East Jerusalem, , making it extremely difficult for them to obtain building permits.
“As a result, many Palestinians build without permits to meet their housing needs and risk having their structures demolished. Palestinians must have the opportunity to participate in a fair and equitable planning system that ensures their needs are met,” OCHA reports.
Although Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian Territory that has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, they are denied their citizenship rights and are instead classified only as "residents" whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city for more than a few years.
They are also discriminated against in all aspects of life including housing, employment and services, and are unable to access services in the West Bank due to the construction of Israel‘s separation wall.
K.F.
