Israel begins demolishing Palestinian properties in Jerusalem

Israeli occupation forces began demolition operations today in the Palestinian town of Anata, located northeast of occupied Jerusalem, reported Wafa news agency.

Mohammad Hussein, deputy mayor of Anata, informed Wafa that the forces demolished a 140-square-metre house owned by local resident Mohammad Ahmed Hilweh.

Hussein added that the Israeli forces demolished agricultural facilities, including shacks used for raising livestock and beehives and bulldozed a park owned by the Al-Fahidat family.

The Jerusalem Governorate noted that 30 demolition and bulldozing operations were monitored in May, including nine forced self-demolitions, 20 demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities and one razing operation.

It comes a month after Israeli authorities demolished a residential building comprising 25 apartments located in the same Palestinian town.

Read: Israel detains 10 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank

One of the building’s residents, Muhammad Mahmoud Hamdan, told the Safa news agency that residents were surprised to find the Israeli occupation forces storming Al-Salam suburb, where the building is located, through the illegal Separation Wall.

He said that his father was able to obtain an order to stop the demolition process, but the occupation’s ministry filed an appeal against the order and carried on with the demolition process.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognised by the international community.

The Palestinians insist on East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, based on international legal resolutions.

Tensions have been running high across the Occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip in October. More than 512 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,000 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.