The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has been escalating its demolition campaigns launched against Jerusalemite citizens’ houses in an attempt to eliminate Palestinian existence at Jerusalem and isolate it from other Palestinian cities.
During the first quarter of the year the IOA issued 117 demolition orders against Palestinian structures in Jerusalem 26 of which were self-demolished.
Palestinian researcher specializing in Jerusalem affairs Fakhri Abu Diab told the PIC that the Israeli attacks against Jerusalemites and their houses aim at forcibly expelling them from Jerusalem as a prelude to imposing a new fait accompli on the holy city.
Abu Diab stressed that the Israeli Judaization plans at Silwan town south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque aim at obliterating the Islamic and historical landmarks of the city of Jerusalem condemning the inaction of the international organizations including UNESCO.
The IOA issued demolition orders against 7000 Palestinian residential structures that shelter thousands of Palestinian citizens in Silwan after approving the building of 450 new settlement units in the same area according to Abu Diab.
He added that five Palestinian families were recently forced to evict their houses in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood in Silwan town as a prelude to demolishing the houses and confiscating the lands in favor of the Israeli municipality.
For his part Asem Burqan a Jerusalemite citizen whose house is destroyed said that the Israeli demolition campaign in Silwan constitutes part of an ethnic cleansing plan adding that the five families have to self-demolish their homes or else they will pay a fine of 220000 shekels.
Meanwhile Jerusalemite activist and writer Rasim Abidat called for supporting Jerusalemite citizens in their continued struggle against the Israeli Judaization plans.
