Crews from Israel’s Jerusalem municipality under heavy police guard on Sunday evening stormed Wadi al-Hummus neighborhood in Sur Baher town south of Jerusalem and took measurements of homes threatened with demolition.
Head of Wadi al-Hummus Committee Hamada Hamada said that the planned demolition campaign will include 237 apartments that are homes for about 500 people.
Hamada said that the Jerusalem municipality asked the residents to demolish their own homes. Otherwise it would do the demolition and force them to pay steep fines.
He added that an Israeli court has given the families a time limit until 18 July to evacuate and demolish their homes.
The demolition campaign comes under the pretext that the targeted homes are close to the separation wall and pose a security threat.
Israeli laws stipulate that Palestinian homes must be at least 250 meters away from the wall.
Wadi al-Hummus is inhabited by over 6000 Palestinians 500 of whom will be forced to leave after the demolition.
