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Israel issues 20 demolition orders in East Jerusalem

December 15, 2016 at 9:33 pm

Israeli soldiers stand guard during the demolition of a Palestinian house [Wisam Hashlamoun/Apaimages]

Jerusalem municipality crews today distributed 20 demolition orders for residential buildings in the Issawiya neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem.

Activist and political analyst Hani Al-Issawi said the Israeli municipality filed a request about two weeks ago, at the Israeli court to issue the demolition orders against a large number of buildings which were 20-30 years old giving their owners 30 days to object.

Al-Issawi said the Israeli municipality wants to demolish 20 buildings which include 80 apartments, where scores of Jerusalemites, including children, live, pointing out that the motive is “purely political rather than because of illegal construction”, because the residential building are located near the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim in East Jerusalem.

The move is part of Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat’s threate to issue more demolition orders against Palestinians if settlers were evacuated from the illegal Amona outpost, Al-Issawi said.

Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the Amona outpost to be evacuated by 25 December due to the outpost being built on privately owned Palestinian land.