JERUSALEM, May 19, 2015 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Tuesday morning
demolished three stores and a house under construction in the East Jerusalem
neighborhood of Silwan to the south of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
WAFA correspondent reported that large Israeli
troops, accompanied by a bulldozer, stormed the Silwan neighborhood of ‘Ayn
al-Lawza (Loza), where they cordoned off three stores and a house under construction belonging to
Anas Karama and proceeded to demolish them purportedly for being built without
a construction permit.
Israeli
troops cordoned off the demolition scene in order to prevent the house owner
and reporters from confronting or reporting the demolition process.
The
stores occupy an estimated area of 200 square meters, said the owners.
This
came only a day after staff from the Israeli West Jerusalem Municipality took
photos for the stores and the surrounding area and handed demolition notices
for several local homes.
Despite
filing applications and constantly trying to build houses following the legal
ways, Palestinians in the West Bank, especially East Jerusalem, are rarely
granted construction permits by Israeli occupation authorities.
Israel
frequently utilizes the lack of construction permits as a pretext for
demolishing Palestinian houses.
Although
Palestinians in East Jerusalem are living in a part of the internationally
recognized Palestinian Territory that has been under Israeli military
occupation since 1967, they are denied citizenship and classified only as
'residents' whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city.
They
are also discriminated against in all aspects of life including housing,
employment and services, and remain unable to access services in the West Bank
due to the construction of Israel's separation wall.
In
2014 alone, Israeli authorities demolished a total of 97 buildings in East
Jerusalem, while demolished five others in 2015, under the pretext of building
without a construction permit, reported the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian (OCHA).
K. F/M.H
