Israel demolishes two east Jerusalem homes

Israeli interior ministry officials accompanied by security forces on Monday demolished two Palestinian homes in annexed east Jerusalem, police and the ministry told AFP. The two structures, in Silwan and Beit Hanina, were "illegal, with court-issued demolition orders," a ministry spokeswoman told AFP. "Israeli troops came at five in the morning to demolish the house and were done by 7 am. They also demolished our barn that had some poultry in it," said Burhan Burqan, the owner of the house in Silwan that was home to nine people. "We received a notice two weeks ago and they carried it out today," he added. The Israeli government last month announced tenders for the construction of 800 housing units in east Jerusalem, which it occupied in the 1967 Six Day war and annexed shortly afterwards in a move never recognised internationally. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its "eternal and indivisible" capital, while the Palestinians want to make the east of the city the capital of the state to which they aspire.