Palestinians clash as Israel begins demolition in Jerusalem’s Silwan. Bulldozer escorted by Israeli police flattened Harbi Rajabi’s butchers shop in Silwan neighbourhood, Palestinian medics said 13 people were injured in Tuesday’s confrontations.
Israel demolished a Palestinian shop in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Tuesday, triggering scuffles between police and protesters who accused authorities of discriminatory enforcement of building permits in the holy city.
Palestinians are being forced to leave by Police
Palestinians seek East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war, for a future state. Israel deems all of Jerusalem its capital — a status not recognized internationally — and has encouraged Jewish settlement of predominantly Palestinian areas.
A bulldozer escorted by Israeli police flattened Harbi Rajabi’s butcher’s shop in the neighbourhood which is overlooked by the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine in Islam and the most sensitive site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The shop is one of at least eight properties that residents said were slated for demolition.
The residents say many have been there for decades, even from before 1967. The authorities have earmarked the land for a park and say the shops and homes have been built illegally.
Mahmoud Basit who runs the butchers told news outlets that 14 family members depended on income from there. “We have no other way to support our families,” said Basit, who added he would have to look for new work from scratch.
Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Arieh King said “around 20” buildings in Silwan, which Israel refers to by its Hebrew name Shiloach, had received demolition orders. Around another 60 buildings there were in violation of Israeli zoning laws.
Palestinians in Silwan say it is near-impossible to get building permits. They see the demolitions as designed to drive them from Jerusalem.
Medics said 13 people were injured in Tuesday’s confrontations in Silwan. Police said two officers were hurt by Palestinians who threw stones and that three people were arrested for disorderly conduct and assault.
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The future of another East Jerusalem neighbourhood, Sheikh Jarrah, was one of extreme violence when Israeli forces attacked Palestinians in Al Aqsa Mosque.
