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Illustrative scene. File. Credit: B'Tselem. Pubished by Maan News
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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities reportedly demolished a "car wash workshop" in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday, according to Palestinian Authority-owned Wafa news agency.

The report said the demolition took place in Shufat, though it was unclear if this referred to Shufat refugee camp or the adjacent neighborhood by the same name. Both localities are under the jurisdiction of Israel's Jerusalem municipality.

A municipality spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Israel rarely grants Palestinians permits to build in East Jerusalem, though the Jerusalem municipality has claimed that compared to the Jewish population, they receive a disproportionately low number of permit applications from Palestinian communities, which also see high approval ratings.

However, human rights groups have highlighted that due to discriminatory policies, there is not enough planning in occupied East Jerusalem according to which Palestinians can apply for a permit.

For Jewish Israelis in occupied East Jerusalem’s illegal settlements, the planning, marketing, development, and infrastructure are funded and executed by the Israeli government. By contrast, in Palestinian neighborhoods, all the burden falls on individual families to contend with a lengthy permit application that can last several years and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

According to Daniel Seidemann of the NGO Terrestrial Jerusalem, “Since 1967, the Government of Israel has directly engaged in the construction of 55,000 units for Israelis in East Jerusalem; in contrast, fewer than 600 units have been built for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the last of which were built 40 years ago. So much for (Jerusalem Mayor Nir) Barkat’s claim ‘we build for everyone.’”