Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Israeli forces have begun destroying homes on the outskirts of the occupied East Jerusalem “al-Quds”, despite international condemnation and mass protests.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and police stormed Sur Baher early on Monday and declared the village a military zone, banning journalists from entering.
Palestinian and international activists, who tried to stop the demolition, were present in the scene and filmed and photographed the work.
Adnan Gheith, the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem “al-Quds”, criticized the demolitions as a war crime.
In June, Israel’s supreme court rejected a petition by the owners to cancel the demolitions. A deadline for the residents to abandon the houses expired on Friday.
Israel claims the owners had failed to obtain “building permits” from the regime.
The residents, however, say they did not need Israeli permission to build their homes because they had received approvals from the Palestinian Authority, which is tasked with running the West Bank’s affairs.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Sunday called upon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into the Israeli regime’s mass demolitions in the neighborhood.
The ministry also said the Israeli high court’s decision “proves that the Israeli judiciary is part of the Israeli colonial mindset and has nothing to do with law, but provides cover and protection to the occupier’s crimes and violations.”
The United Nations, which recognizes Jerusalem “al-Quds” as occupied territory, has urged Israel to halt the demolitions.
“The continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for lasting peace,” the European Union said in a statement.
In a related development, the European Union on Monday urged Israel to immediately halt the demolition of Palestinian homes on the outskirts of the occupied East Jerusalem “al-Quds”, saying such activities undermine hope for “a lasting peace” in the region.
The Palestinians have slammed the demolitions in the Sur Baher area and the EU also backs their view that in the land in question, according to the Oslo peace accords, “all civil issues are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.”
Palestinians accuse Israel of using security as a pretext to force them out of the area as part of long-term efforts to expand settlements and roads linking them.
