Israel collects millions of dollars from Palestinians in Jerusalem annually

Israeli occupation authorities continue collecting money from Palestinians in East Jerusalem while they continue demolishing their houses and banning them from building new ones or expanding existing homes, Quds Press reported on Friday.

Speaking to Quds Press, Palestinian economic expert Mohamed Qirsh said that the Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem collected $22 million yearly from the Palestinians.

The Israeli authorities collects the money in the form of taxes and fines under the pretext of “unlicensed” building of homes by Palestinians.

He also that the Israelis had recently approved the budget for the holy city, noting that the budget excluded the planning and development of Palestinian neighbourhoods in the city.

Read: Israeli plan aims to accelerate demolition of Arab homes

The expert also said that the budget of the Israeli municipality included funding for building new homes in the Al-Sawahra neighbourhood in the east of the occupied part of the city.

Qirsh said that these Israeli moves are part of a direct plan aiming to evacuate Palestinians from the heart of the city. “This is part of the announced plans of the Israeli government,” he told Quds Press.

With the Palestinians forced out of other neighbourhoods and gathered into the Al-Sawahra district, it would be very easy for the Israeli occupation to isolate them, he explained. “This way, Israel will have achieved its goal, which is evacuating the city from its indigenous residents,” he concluded.