Palestinian field researcher, member of the Committee for Defending Lands of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, Fakhri Abu Diab, stated that the Jerusalem Municipality handed notices for the demolition of five homes in Al-Bustan neighborhood in the city.Abu Diab said that the notices were handed to members of Abu Shafe’, Abu Rajab, Abu Diab, and Ar-Rishiq families, and added that the homes in question were built more than 20 years ago.
The Jerusalem Municipality claims that the homes were built without construction permits.
The official said that the notices did not mention the real name of the Al-Bustan neighborhood, and referred to it as the “King Neighborhood”, and added that this is part of Israel’s plan to demolish the homes and take over the neighborhood for the benefit of Israeli settlements.
It is worth mentioning that several homes in the neighborhood have been previously demolished, and several other homes were taken over by Israeli settlers.
Dozens of homes have also been demolished in the Old City of Jerusalem, and in East Jerusalem under claims that they were built without construction permits.
The Jerusalem Municipality usually refrains from granting construction permits to the Arab citizens of Jerusalem, an issue that forces some of them to build without permits due to natural growth of their families.
At the same time, Israel is ongoing with its construction and expansion of Jewish-only settlements in and around occupied East Jerusalem.
