FIVE HOMES DEMOLISHED IN JERUSALEM
EIGHT HOMES DEMOLISHED IN TWO DAYS IN CONTINUATION OF ETHNIC CLEANSING POLICY
5 August 1997
On 4 August, the Jerusalem municipality demolished another five homes in the Jerusalem area. These homes were destroyed the day after the military authorities demolished three additional houses in Area C in the West Bank, but bordering on Jerusalem (Anata and al Ram villages). LAW notes that the Israeli government is using the current tense situation following last week’s bombing in Jerusalem to carry out Occupation policies designed to cleanse areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem of a Palestinian presence.In Jerusalem, homes were destroyed in the following villages:
· al Issawiya: two homes were destroyed in this village, one of which belonged to Mufida al Qassem al Issawi. Her four room home was 120 meters. According to local sources, some 40 homes have received demolition orders in Issawiya. · Shu’fat: A 250 meter, two-story home was demolished in this village north of Jerusalem. It was built six months ago by the sons of Sabbagh Mahmoud al Qirshan on the foundations of their previous home. Forty people lived in this home, and the family had lived on this land since 1956. · Azzariya: Two homes of two stories each, belonging to the brothers Nabil and Mohammed Audah, were demolished in this village. They had only recently been served demolition orders, after their applications for building permits were refused. The Israeli Jerusalem municipality had zoned part of the Audah family lands as a “green area” (a commonly used restriction in Arab areas to prevent building).
In addition, on 3 August three homes were demolished, two in Anata and one in al Ram (correction of LAW press release of 4 August). Abdul Qader Omar Mohammed Ali’s 200 meter home was demolished in Anata, and Mustafa Abu Shneineh’s 200 meter home was destroyed in al Ram.
The Israeli policy of house demolition targets entire neighborhoods, very clearly seen in the demolition orders against al Issawiya village. The rapidly expanding Jewish settlement of French Hill is built on this village’s land, and this village has been particularly hard hit in recent years. This removal of the native Palestinian population from areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem in favor of a different religious group (Jewish Israelis) constitutes a form of ethnic cleansing.
LAW condemns this tragic and ongoing policy in the strongest terms. Contact the following officials to demand an immediate halt to all house demolitions, and for the international community, especially the United States, to take appropriate actions to sanction Israel for this brutal policy: Israeli Prime Minister (972) (2) 566 4838, Israeli Mayor of Jerusalem Ehud Olmert (972) (2) 629 7997, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy (972) (2) 530 3506, Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai (972) (3) 691 6940. Electronic mail to: Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu: pm@pmo.gov.il, the Office of the Prime Minister: feedback@pmo.gov.il, the Israeli Government Press Office: gpo@pmo.gov.il, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ask@israel-info.gov.il. LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.