Israeli occupation bulldozers demolish house near Jerusalem
Jerusalem (QNN)- Israeli occupation bulldozers on Wednesday morning demolished a Palestinian-owned house in Shufat refugee camp, north of the occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources said that a large Israeli military unit escorted two bulldozers into the camp, where the bulldozers tore down a tin-roofed house in the Ras Khamis area.
#Watch | The Israeli occupation army destroyed a Palestinian-owned house that has been under construction at Ras Khamees area in occupied #Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/GCmRPrHbYl
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 24, 2021
Confrontations broke out between the Israeli forces and Palestinians during the demolition, but no injuries were reported.
Using the pretext of illegal building, Israeli occupation demolishes houses on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.
At the same time, the municipality and occupation government built tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in East Jerusalem for Jews with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Jewish settlers in the occupied city.
Almost 75 percent of applications for a permit by the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem are rejected by the municipality, according to rights groups.
Since the start of 2021, the Israeli occupation authorities have demolished, seized or forced people to demolish at least 199 Palestinian-owned structures, including 77 donor-funded, displacing 285 people, including some 150 children. This represents an over 200 per cent increase in structures targeted, and an over 500 per cent increase in donor-funded structures targeted, compared to the equivalent period in 2020, according to OCHA.
Obtaining an Israeli building permit in Area C of the West Bank is impossible, while in East Jerusalem it is close to being impossible forcing Palestinians to risk building on their lands without a permit.
