Gaza, July 01: Israel has demolished a Palestinian house in eastern Jerusalem (al-Quds) without a prior warning, injuring nine people living in the building.
The incident occurred on Monday when Jerusalem (al-Quds) municipality authorities tore down a house on the Mount of Olives on Monday morning.
The Israeli police forces who accompanied the bulldozers clashed with those residing in the house and wounded nine people, including four women. Two of the women were taken to the nearby al-Maqasid Hospital.
The home was 150 square meters in size and belonged to Samir Abu Juma’a.
Juma’a said the demolition came without any warning and just a day after the municipality declared that it would withdraw 70% of the demolition orders.
Israeli officials continue to engage in the destruction of Palestinian houses on the grounds that they were built without permits, which are almost impossible to obtain.
According to the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), the Jerusalem municipality issued only 18 permits in 2008 for construction in the Palestinian parts of the city, denouncing the policy of few permits for forcing the Palestinians either to construct illegally or leave the city.
ICAHD also reports that in 2008 the municipality demolished 87 Palestinian homes, issued 959 demolition orders and collected 3.6 million US dollars in fines from Palestinians.
There are some 270,000 Palestinians in Jerusalem (al-Quds), 70% of whom live below the poverty line.
—Agencies