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31 Jan, 2016

Israel Demolishes Palestinian Home, Foundations of Another in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, January 27, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli authorities Wednesday demolished a home and the foundations of another in Jerusalem, according to local sources.

WAFA correspondent said an Israeli police contingent, accompanied by bulldozers, broke into Shuafaat, a neighborhood of Jerusalem, and demolished the house of Kefaya Resheq, a local Palestinian, under the pretext of construction without a permit.

Prior to demolishing the home, police asked Reqsheq and her family to empty their home from furniture and other property.

Meanwhile, Israeli police demolished the foundations of a house under construction in Jabal al-Mukabir area in Jerusalem, under the pretext of construction without a permit. The house belongs to Ibrahim Sarri.

Issuance of construction permits by Israeli authorities for Palestinians in Jerusalem, unlike for Jewish settlers, requires unreasonable fees that most families cannot afford to pay. The Israeli Committee against House Demolitions (ICAHD) explains in a special report “in almost all cases Palestinians have no choice but to build ‘illegally’, as permits are almost impossible to obtain.”

“Many Palestinians have suffered multiple displacements, having lost their homes and livelihoods more than once. Forced displacement has a series of immediate and longer-term physical, socio-economic and psycho-social impacts on Palestinian families.”

It added, “It deprives them of their home and land – often their main asset – and frequently results in disruption to livelihoods, a reduced standard of living and access to basic services. The impact on children can be particularly devastating,” said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).