The Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER) has revealed that more than 20,000 Palestine homes in Jerusalem have been shortlisted to be demolished by Israeli authorities.According to the PNN, Ziad Hamouri, the center’s head, stated that the reason why these homes will be demolished is that they were built without licences issued by the Israeli municipality in the occupied city of Jerusalem.
Applications for such licenses submitted by Palestinians are rarely ever approved, and Israelis use the licence issue as a pretext to get rid of the centuries-old Palestinian existence in Jerusalem, says Hamouri.
Few Palestinians can even afford a building license, even if an application is approved. ‘The Israeli demands for a construction licence are punitive financially and procedurally,’ Hamouri further stated. ‘Every licence takes from five to eight years to be issued and they cost from $30,000 to $50,000 each.’
Jews living in the city, however, do not have to go through such complicated procedures. They even find apartments ready-made for them to move into and are exempt from frequent and very high taxes.
The Palestinian authroity has called on the international community to step up and stop Israel from stealing more Palestinian lands.
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