Demolition of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem hits record high
Xinhua, February 23, 2017 Adjust font size:
The extent of Palestinian house demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities in East Jerusalem has risen to an unprecedented level in 2016, an Israeli human rights watchdog said on Wednesday.
According to Ir Amim, 2016 marked "an all-time high of yearly demolitions," with 123 residential and 80 non-residential ones razed, nearly trebling the total of 74 demolitions carried out throughout 2015.
The trend has continued in 2017, with more than 40 demolished over the past two months.
In 2016, Israel for the first time carried out demolitions in the neighborhoods beyond the Separation Wall, which separates the east Palestinian Jerusalem from the predominantly-Jewish west Jerusalem. Some 40 units were razed in Kalandia and five others in Walajeh.
The Jerusalem Municipality, usually citing illegal construction without permits for the demolitions, was not immediately available for comment on the figures.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, together with the rest of the West Bank, in the 1976 Middle East War. It later annexed the area and claimed it as part of its "undivided" capital, a move condemned by the international community.
According to data recently presented to the Israeli parliament, some 312,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem. The vast majority of them are in poverty, with little access to health, education and municipal services. Endit