Middle East Monitor / January 30, 2023
The Israeli occupation authorities started to demolish 14 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, Al-Resalah has reported. The demolitions began by order of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, added Israeli radio, Reshet Bet.
The pretence is that the homes were built without a permit. However, the occupation authorities rarely, if ever, approve such permits for Palestinians.
When a two-storey house in Jabal al-Mukaber neighbourhood was demolished, the Rateb and Husam Matar families were rendered homeless. During the demolition, the Israeli occupation forces assaulted the displaced family members, injuring one of them with a rubber-coated metal bullet.
According to i24 news, in the coming week many more Palestinian buildings are expected to be demolished. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces have also handed demolition notices to the owners of four Palestinian homes in the town of Yatta, to the south of Hebron/Al-Khalil.
The demolition of Palestinian homes across the occupied territories has increased since the extreme far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu took office. Ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich publicly advocate the expulsion of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes. Observers point out that the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians didn’t end in 1948; it is ongoing.
