Since its occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 Israel worked relentlessly to Judaize the holy city by all possible means with the aim of changing its landmarks reducing the number of its native residents and blocking any possible future Palestinian sovereignty over it.
The Israeli authorities started by isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank building a number of settlements surrounded by the apartheid wall canceling residency permits for Palestinians living abroad demolishing Palestinian homes and isolating Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
Recently the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) distributed dozens of demolition orders in the Ain Al-Lawza neighborhood in Silwan town of Occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of being built without Israeli permit as a prelude to implement new settlement plans and Talmudic gardens.
180 homes under demolition threat
Speaking to the PIC reporter Khaled Abu Tayeh a member of the Follow-up Committee in the Ain al-Lawzeh neighborhood confirmed that 180 homes in the neighborhood are facing demolition threats for being built without Israeli permit.
Over the past month more than 80 homes and facilities located in the El-Wad area received demolition notifications he pointed out.
Abu Tayeh further said that only 4% of the homes in Silwan obtained building permits as the IOA strictly limits building permits for Jerusalemite residents.
The local Qaqaa mosque which was built on a private land and which is the only mosque in the neighborhood was also threatened with demolition he added.
Judaization and displacement policy growing
For his part the director of the Jerusalem Center for Economic and Social Rights Ziyad al-Hammouri underlined that the IOA is working to demolish the largest possible number of buildings throughout Jerusalem as part of its Judaization policy.
Israel is working to displace more than 200000 Palestinians out of 320000 residents of Occupied Jerusalem and to keep less than 100000 within the municipal boundaries and bringing more than 300000 settlers in their place according to al-Hammouri.
He further pointed out that Silwan town has been subjected to a fierce demolition campaign for many years. More than 88 houses are threatened with demolition in the Al-Bustan area he added.
