JERUSALEM, September 13, 2017 (WAFA) – The Israeli West Jerusalem municipality Wednesday demolished a two-story apartment building in Ras el-Amoud, a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of construction without a permit.

WAFA correspondent said a 200-strong Israeli police force cordoned off the area as bulldozers proceeded to knock down the building owned by two siblings, Mutasem and Muntasir Abu Farha.

The family had appealed the demolition order, but a court rejected the appeal and upheld the demolition forcing the family to evacuate its home and move elsewhere in anticipation of the demolition.

Israeli occupation authorities demolished 25 homes, residential, commercial and agricultural facilities in East Jerusalem during August, in addition to issuing 116 notices of house demolition, according to Al-Quds International Foundation.

It added that Israel built 40 settlement units in Nave Yacov settlement north of Jerusalem, and approved the construction of dozens of residential and commercial buildings in the settlement of Sderot Dov Yosef, to the south of the city.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Israeli authorities demolished 107 structures in East Jerusalem since the start of this year due to lack of building permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain, resulting in the displacement of 179 people, including 107 children, and otherwise affecting another 471 people.

The communities most heavily affected were Jabal al-Mukabbir, Beit Hanina, al Isawiya and Silwan, which, combined, accounted for 75 per cent of demolition incidents documented this year and 70 per cent of all structures demolished.

M.H./M.K.