JERUSALEM, July 29, 2015 (WAFA)
– Israeli authorities Wednesday demolished a Palestinian owned wedding hall in
the neighborhood of Beit Hanina, just a few kilometers north of central
Jerusalem, according to local sources.
WAFA correspondent said an
Israeli police contingent accompanied by heavy machinery broke into the area
and proceeded to demolish the hall, under the pretext it was built without
permission. During the offensive, Israeli police denied media outlets and other
residents access to the area.
The Israeli force also ordered the
eviction of a commercial complex in preparation for demolition. The complex
includes a carpentry workshop, a printing house, and a gas station.
Owner of the hall and the other
premises, Akram Abu Shalbak, said during recent months, he was about to conclude
the legal procedures to obtain a construction permit, noting that he had not
received a demolition warning. Abu Shalbak added that he had incurred some 60
thousand shekels ($16,000) in fines for the unpermitted construction.
The incident took place only a
day after Israel demolished residential and commercial structures in East
Jerusalem’s Silwan, citing unpermitted construction.
Israel rarely issues
construction permits for Palestinians living in East Jerusalem as well in Area
C of the West Bank, both under complete Israeli control, forcing may
Palestinians to embark on construction without obtaining a permit.
According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, Israeli
authorities prohibit Palestinian construction in vast areas of Area C citing
various rationales, such as “defining these areas as state land, survey land,
firing zones, nature reserves and natural parks, or by incorporating lands into
the jurisdiction of settlements and regional councils.”
The so-called Civil Administration has
avoided approving any master plan at all for over 90% of the villages located
entirely within Area C, and has approved master plans for only 16 villages,
added B’Tselem. “These plans, prepared without participation by local
residents, fail to meet their needs.”
It added: “The plans do not designate
areas for public purposes such as schools or medical clinics and impose a high
population density. The total area covered by these plans is currently only
about one half of one percent of Area C.”
“Given the Civil Administration's
policy, the prospects for receiving a building permit outside the scope of the
master plans are very slim. Therefore, most Palestinians feel it is futile to
apply and do not even submit an application.”
M.N/M.H
