The Israeli military destroyed a Palestinian playground, park and pool Wednesday, claiming that the park was built on "Area C" lands that are inside the West Bank, but under Israeli civil and security control.
The Municipality denies this, but also says that even if it were built on Area C lands, there would be no excuse for such destruction.
Azoun Municipality member, Ra’ed Radwan, told Ma’an News in an interview Wednesday, "They have destroyed a huge part of the public space, including a swimming pool."
He continued, "The public park and children’s playground were built two years ago with funding from USAID."
"I can confirm that the park that was destroyed today was funded by USAID," a spokeswoman for the agency, Anna-Maija Litvak, told Agence-France Presse.
The spokeswoman added that USAID had contributed around $80,000 towards the cost.
The Municipality condemned the act as another in a long string of aggressions against the Palestinian people. In a statement issued today, the ‘Azoun Municipality called on "all peace loving people in the world to stop Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian people."
