Israeli Occupation Government to Demolish 88 Palestinian Homes in Jerusalem

Palestinian officials: Israel to demolish 88 Jerusalem homes

Date: 19 / 06 / 2009 Time: 21:54
Jerusalem – Ma’an –

The Israeli occupation government plans to demolish the homes of about 1,500 Palestinians in Jerusalem, said Islamic Movement in Israel leader Raed Salah on Friday.

Salah, speaking at a sit-in demonstration in the Al-Bastan neighborhood in Silwan, said that Israel's municipality will tear down 88 houses to build a new Israeli park in occupied East Jerusalem in the coming months, expelling more than 1,000 Palestinians.

Palestinian Authority Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Hatem Abed Al-Qader added that "this tent is now the main source of concern for the Israeli authorities as solidarity groups and European officials are visiting it, as well as Israeli leftists."

He went on to say that the movement for Palestinians in Jerusalem "is living evidence of the Israeli crimes carried out against the Palestinians living in Jerusalem."

Al-Qader noted that "performing the weekly prayer along with residents is in solidarity, a message of steadfastness and support to them to confront expulsion attempts and home demolitions. He warned the Israeli municipality and authorities of the consequences of any "insane adventure" of targeting Al-Bustan or Silwan.

Meanwhile, Salah revealed during the Friday sermon the intentions of the Israeli municipality, which has begun to hire a staff of engineers who have remeasured and assessed Palestinian houses for demolition.

He said that more than 75 percent of the homes will be demolished according to the municipality's and authorities' calculations, "which means they are facing ethnic cleansing, and the [Israeli] occupation is trying to seize every opportunity to implement its plans inside Jerusalem."

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