The Israeli authorities bulldozed on Tuesday, nine homes and a fuel station east of Jerusalem, and claimed that they were built without obtaining construction permits.
ÂÂ
The Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli ministry of interior leveled the nine homes and the fuel station over the last 48 hours.
The municipality claims that “green areas†for public usage, will be replacing the leveled homes.
According to the municipality, some of the homes were still under construction, but most of them were already inhibited.
Ma’ir Margaleet, an activist at the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, said that it is nearly impossible for the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to obtain construction permits from Jerusalem municipality as a result of Israeli policies, and that it increased recently its activities against the Palestinian homes in Jerusalem area.
A spokesperson of Jerusalem municipality said that it leveled 37 homes this year and 124 homes in 2004, but did not provide any information about future plans.
The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, B’Tselem, reported that the number of Palestinian homes, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which were leveled since the beginning of the Intifada significantly increased.
Six homes leveled in Jerusalem
Israeli bulldozers on Tuesday morning invaded the al-Ashqariyya section of the Beit Hanina neighborhood, north of Jerusalem, and leveled two homes.
The WAFA news agency reported that soldiers surrounded the neighborhood, imposed restrictions on the movement of the residents, and destroyed two homes without allowing the residents to evacuate their belongings and furniture.
Soldiers also attacked several residents who were trying to stop them from leveling the homes.
On Sunday soldiers leveled four homes and a fuel station in Beit Hanina, Jabal al-Mokabber, and al-Esawiyya near Jerusalem, claiming that the buildings were constructed without construction permits from the Jerusalem municipality.
Also on Sunday, soldiers handed 12 residents military orders informing them of intentions to level their homes located in Beit Hanina, al-Tour, al-Esawiyya, Jabal al-Mokabber, al-Sawahra, Ras Khamis and Shu’fat refugee camp.
