Description

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

Sunday June 2 2013, Israeli soldiers and workers of the Jerusalem City Council, invaded Silwan town, in occupied East Jerusalem, and delivered warrants against two homes.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan, has reported that City Council employees and police officers invaded several neighborhoods, handed the warrants, and took pictures of a number of homes in the neighborhoods of Be’er Ayyoub, Al-Bustan and Wadi Hilweh.

The center added that the two homes Israel intends to demolish belong to Mazin Odeh and his brother Wael, in addition to a home that belongs to members of the Ar-Rajaby family.

Mazin said that the soldiers placed the warrants on the main doors of the two homes, and photographed the exterior of the properties.

Furthermore, soldiers took pictures of the home of resident Abu Yousef Ar-Rishiq, that was built more than five years ago, in addition to a home that belongs to resident Jom’a Khader, built more than 30 years ago.

The attack is part of ongoing violations against dozens of Palestinian homes and property in occupied East Jerusalem.

A few months ago, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) has reported that Israel demolished more than 28000 Palestinian homes, businesses, livestock facilities and other structures in Jerusalem and the West Bank since 1967.

In April of this year, Palestinian Field Researcher at the Jerusalem Affairs Department of the Palestinian National Authority, Ahmad Sob-Laban, stated that what Israel is doing in Jerusalem is a systematic policy that aims at removing the Palestinian population from the city.

Sob-Laban added that. since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, it only granted the Palestinians 4000 construction permits comparing to 53.000 permits granted to Israeli settlers.

__________

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli municipality staff were escorted by police Sunday to hand down demolition orders to homes in Silwan, East Jerusalem, a local community center said.

Demolition orders were affixed to two homes in Silwan's al-Bustan neighborhood belonging to Mazin and Wael Udah and the al-Rajabi family, said Director of the Wadi Hilweh Information Center Jawad Siyam.

Locals told Ma'an Israeli police stormed the Beer Ayyub, Wadi Hilweh and al-Bustan neighborhoods in Silwan, taking several pictures.

Siyam added that police and municipality staff also broke into a house belonging to Rweidi family to check for any work carried out without a building permit, which are notoriously difficult for Palestinians in East Jerusalem to obtain.

The homes slated for demolition were built "long years ago," says Siyam, and their owners have already paid fines and received several demolition orders before.

Some 88 homes are scheduled for demolition as part of the Israeli municipality's plan for a "biblical park" in Silwan and around the "Holy Basin," which includes many Christian and Muslim holy sites. According to the UN, nearly 1,000 Palestinians in Silwan are at risk of displacement as a result of home demolitions in the area.

The UN says the establishment of such "open spaces" and increased settlements in the Old City and Silwan "has resulted in restrictions on public space, residential growth and freedom of movement, and ultimately, the takeover of Palestinian private properties and the eviction of their long term residents."

Israeli authorities demolished seven Palestinian-owned residential structures in East Jerusalem and Area this week, according to the UN, displacing 10 families of 44 people, including 20 children.