JERUSALEM, Wednesday, July 17, 2019 (WAFA) – Staff from the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem demolished today four Palestinian-owned shops in Silwan, a neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext they were built without a permit, according to local sources.

A large police force cordoned off the area where the shops were located and preceded with the demolition, they said.

At one point, an altercation happened between the Israeli police and residents who attempted to block the demolition.

The shops were owned by Mohammad Abbasi, a local resident, who received notice yesterday that his shops will be demolished today.

Abbasi, as a result, emptied the shops of their contents before they were demolished.

Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem say they are forced to build without a permit because getting one from the Israeli municipality, which is biased toward Jews in the city, particularly in Silwan, which is bordering the Old City, is an impossible task.

M.K.