Middle East Monitor / December 27, 2021
Israeli occupation bulldozers demolished on Monday morning 10 Palestinian commercial properties in occupied Jerusalem’s neighbourhood of Hizma, Safa news agency reported.
Anti-Israeli settlement activist, Yousef Askar, told Safa that the Israeli occupation forces backed with bulldozers raided Hizma and demolished the shops.
He said that the owners of the shops attempted to take some of their goods out, but they were prevented by the Israeli occupation forces.
The Israeli bulldozers demolished the shops over the goods and commodities inside them, which consisted mainly of food and kitchen appliances.
Askar said that the Israeli occupation demolished the Palestinian shops under the pretext that they had been built without Israeli building licenses.
He also said that the occupation forces claimed that these shops were located in an area under full control of the Israeli authorities.
According to Askar, Hizma has been under continuous Israeli aggression and tight siege over alleged claims that its people keep throwing stones at the occupation forces.
Safa news agency said that the Israeli occupation army increased its presence at the main entrance of Hizma and restricted the movement of its 9,000 residents.
Prior to Monday’s destructions, Safa said that the Israeli occupation forces had demolished 20 commercial facilities in Hizma throughout 2021 – all under the pretext of lacking Israeli building licenses.
