Israel to Demolish Commercial Structures in Jerusalem

Israeli authorities on Monday notified Palestinians in the town of al-Issawiya, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, about their intention to demolish residential and commercial structures of their own, according to local sources.

Witnesses told WAFA that staff from the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem accompanied by policemen stormed al-Issawiya, where they handed two notifications to demolish a health center and a fuel station.

To be noted, Israeli authorities rarely issue construction permits to the original Palestinian inhabitants of Jerusalem, forcing many of them to embark on construction without an Israeli permit.

Over the course of 2015, Israel demolished 521 structures in Area C as well as in East Jerusalem, displacing 636 people, according to the UN monitoring group OCHA. The vast majority of these demolitions were carried out on the grounds of construction without a permit.

Between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of applications for building permits in Area C were approved by Israeli occupation authorities, OCHA adds

Source: WAFA