JERUSALEM, June 22, 2026 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) condemned the demolition by Israeli authorities of three residential buildings in the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem.
The department said that this crime is an extension of a systematic colonial policy aimed at undermining the Palestinian presence in the city and reshaping its demographic and geographic reality to serve the Israeli colonial project.
In a press release issued on Monday, the department emphasized that the policy of home demolitions is no longer limited to flimsy administrative or legal pretexts, but has become a central tool within an Israeli strategy aimed at emptying Jerusalem of its Palestinian residents. This is achieved by depriving them of their right to housing and construction, and by imposing coercive living conditions that force them into forced displacement or silent emigration.
The department added that this demolition comes amidst an unprecedented escalation targeting Jerusalem, manifested in accelerated colonial expansion, land confiscation, increased incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and the imposition of further restrictions on the lives of Jerusalemites. This is all part of a comprehensive policy to impose new realities on the ground and alter the historical, legal, and demographic character of the occupied city.
The department also said that targeting Palestinian neighborhoods, particularly areas behind the separation wall and the expansionist settlements, such as Kafr Aqab, reflects a clear Israeli trend to redraw the demographic map of Jerusalem in line with Israeli plans to consolidate the illegal annexation of the city. This constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions affirming that East Jerusalem is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory.
The department stressed that the continued policy of demolition, forced eviction, and land confiscation constitutes a blatant violation of international law, threatens the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, and undermines the resilience of its residents.
The department called on the United Nations, the European Union, and influential countries to move beyond statements of condemnation and take practical and deterrent measures to stop the occupation's crimes, provide international protection for Jerusalemites, and hold Israel accountable for its ongoing violations.
It further emphasized that protecting Jerusalem requires a serious international stance that puts an end to the policy of imposing facts on the ground by force.
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