Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in Occupied Jerusalem have risen dramatically since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump Haaretz reported Tuesday.
According to data collated by the Ir Amim nonprofit organization which studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Occupied Jerusalem in January and February alone the Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) demolished 42 housing units in Jerusalem.
The report kept account of the demolition of 203 Palestinian buildings in Occupied Jerusalem in 2016 half of which following the U.S. elections held in November. In 2015 73 Palestinian buildings were knocked down by the IOA including 22 cases of self-demolition.
Last week the IOA demolished an allegedly evacuated Palestinian home in al-Issawiya village.
The house-owner Salah said he made coffee and something for the children to eat before he suddenly saw that the house was full of soldiers who told him he had 10 minutes to leave the house and take a few belongings of his own.
He added that the soldiers did not even allow him to search for his child’s shoes and forced him out of the building.
“When I returned I couldn’t believe my eyes. They destroyed everything” said Salah.
Palestinians have meanwhile been grappling with thorny procedures trying to obtain construction licenses from the IOA.
Even through Jerusalem’s mayor Nir Barkat announced a new master plan for Occupied Jerusalem to allow legal Palestinian construction such plans have been largely stalled in past years.
In 2008 residents of al-Tur neighborhood presented a plan that they themselves prepared for expanding the neighborhood. Following claims that the mayor welcomed the plan the municipality in cooperation with the Nature Authority pushed for the endorsement of an Israeli bid to establish a national park on Jabal al-Mukabbir area and canceled the Palestinian proposal altogether.
A similar plan put forth by Sur Baher residents to obtain legal construction permits was first met with reluctance by the Israeli authorities and ended up being outspokenly rebuffed on claims that a long time span had passed by since it was submitted.
Aviv Tatarsky a researcher for Ir Amim said the IOA has been leaving residents with a cruel choice: To be expelled from their city or to build without a permit and take the risk of demolition and monetary fines.
