7 August 1997

On 7 August, another two homes were demolished in the Jerusalem area in the village of Kattana northeast of Jerusalem. Kattana village lies near the Jewish settlement of Givat Ze’ev, one of the largest settlements in the West Bank. Both of these homes were demolished ostensibly for having no permit, and have left 22 people homeless.

This morning bulldozers arrived to the homes of Diab Abdel Sala’am Shamasni and destroyed his 150 meter home. Ten people lived in this house.

Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh al Faqi’eh’s home was also destroyed, a home in which 12 people lived.

It is clear that the Jerusalem authorities and the Israeli military authorities of the West Bank are exploiting this period when world attention is focused on the recent bombings and the impasse in negotiations to carry out demolition orders and further remove the Palestinian population from areas of the West Bank and Jerusalem. Thirteen homes have been destroyed in the last eight days, a dramatic acceleration in the execution of house demolition orders.

LAW calls on all concerned parties immediately to protest these policies. 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 Netanyahu (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.