On Monday, Israeli soldiers forced a Palestinian to demolish his two shops in Beit Hanina town, north of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
The Palestinian, Mohammad Jolani, said he was ordered to demolish his shops on his private property after the army claimed they were not licensed.
He added that the army and the City Council in occupied Jerusalem threatened to impose very high fines and fees, in addition to the demolition costs, if he failed to demolish his shops and the city used its workers and equipment in the destruction.
In related news, Israeli officers and personnel of the City Council in Jerusalem attacked many Palestinian street vendors on Salahuddin Street and Sultan Suleiman Street in Jerusalem and imposed more restrictions on street vendors Bab Al-Amoud.
While Israel continues to build and expand its illegal colonies, Palestinian communities and towns in occupied Jerusalem and various areas in the occupied West Bank continue to be denied the right to build homes and property under various allegations meant to prevent the expansion of Palestinian towns and neighborhoods.
Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory.”
