Pictures| Israeli forces demolish under-construction Palestinian house in Jerusalem

Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Israeli occupation forces earlier on Wednesday demolished an under-construction Palestinian house in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

Earlier today, the occupation forces raided the neighborhood of Ras al-Amoud, escorted bulldozers to the area and started demolishing an under construction house belonging to a Palestinian resident, Mohand al-Zagl.

Using the pretext of illegal building, ‘Israel’ demolishes houses on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the municipality and the occupation government built tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in occupied Jerusalem for Jews with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favour of the Israeli settlers in the occupied city.

‘Israel’ has been moving its citizens into the neighbourhoods of Jerusalem since the 1980s.

Thus, hundreds of Palestinian families are being threatened with forced displacement and house demolitions from their homes by illegal settler groups, fully supported by the Israeli occupation government.

There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

The Israeli court had previously rejected many appeals filed by the residents of Jerusalem, and allowed “Ateret Cohanim” to continue its procedures relevant to the immediate expelling of the Palestinian families.

Ateret Cohanim, a settler organization, has been seeking, with the support of Israeli occupation authorities, to forcibly evict some Palestinian families in Silwan, claiming the land is rightfully owned by a Jewish trust active in the area more than 100 years ago.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said in June-July 2021, Israeli occupation authorities demolished 52 Palestinian structures, some of which were under construction, in occupied Jerusalem.

The human rights group said among the 52 structures: 22 were residential buildings and 11 of those, which were owned by 11 families numbering 52 people in total, including 24 minors, were inhabited.