Middle East Monitor / January 13, 2022
Israeli authorities yesterday issued a decision to demolish an under-construction mosque in Jerusalem’s north-eastern town of Issawiya.
Local sources told Alqastal that the decision was issued by the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, noting that it included the demolition of the “Al-Taqwa Mosque within 15 days.”
The sources added that the 300-metre land on which the mosque was built was “abandoned by the occupation authorities,” pointing out that they had previously halted the mosque’s construction work.
In addition to the mosque, the sources said that the municipality had notified the area residents of the demolition of “two houses and the electricity network in Nablus’ eastern village of Beit Dajan.”
The Israeli military has been carrying out demolition activities across the occupied West Bank, in preparation for the construction of new residential settlements, which are considered “illegal” by the United Nations.
In August, the Israeli authorities demolished, forced people to demolish, or seized 118 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. This move was reported to have displaced 191 people, including 116 children, and affected the livelihoods, or access to services, of nearly 1,400 others.
