JERUSALEM, Wednesday, July 08, 2020 (WAFA) – Bulldozers of the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem demolished this morning a Palestinian home and a shop in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of construction without a permit, according to local sources.

The demolitions included a house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan owned by Iyad Abu Sbeih and a shop in Wadi al-Joz neighborhood.

Palestinians in East Jerusalem say they are forced to build without a permit because getting one is an almost impossible task. At the same time, Israel builds thousands of housing units for Israelis in illegal settlements built in East Jerusalem on expropriated Palestinian land.

The Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, said yesterday that Israel significantly stepped up demolitions in East Jerusalem in June, leaving 51 people, including 31 minors, homeless despite the danger of remaining without shelter during the coronavirus pandemic.

It said Israel demolished 13 homes, double the monthly average in the first five months of 2020. Eight of the homes demolished last month were torn down by their owners after they received a demolition order from the municipality and wished to avoid paying the cost of the demolition and fines to the municipality. Three non-residential structures were also demolished in East Jerusalem in June.

M.K.