Israel demolished a Palestinian shop in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Tuesday, sparking clashes between police and protesters who accused the authorities of discrimination regarding building permits in the city. Palestinians seek East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war, as the capital of their future state. Israel considers Jerusalem, in its entirety, as its capital, a status not recognized internationally, and promotes Jewish settlement in areas predominantly inhabited by Palestinians.
An Israeli police accompanied bulldozer tore down a butcher shop owned by Palestinian Harbi Rajabi in the neighborhood overlooking the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The shop is one of at least eight properties that residents claimed had been ordered for demolition. The residents state that many of them have lived there for decades, even before the 1967 war. The authorities allocated the land for a park and claim that the homes and shops were built illegally.
Mamdouh Basit, who manages the butcher shop, told Reuters that a family of 14 relied on the income from this shop. He added that they have no other source of income and that he would have to look for a new job.
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King stated that "about 20" buildings in Silwan had been ordered for demolition. He informed Reuters that there are approximately 60 other illegally constructed buildings. Palestinians in Silwan claim it is almost impossible to obtain building permits and believe that the demolitions aim to expel them from Jerusalem. However, King said the municipality had approved the construction of hundreds of new Palestinian homes in Silwan.
Palestinian medics reported that 13 people were injured in the clashes on Tuesday in Silwan. The police stated that two officers were injured by stones and that three people were arrested for disturbing the peace and assault. The municipality had given Palestinians until June 28 to demolish their properties themselves. King stated that the land would be cleared in preparation for the establishment of the park and public buildings. He added that Silwan's connection to the Old Testament makes it "an important historical site."
Nader Abu Diab, 55, who also received a demolition order, said that his grandchildren ask questions he cannot answer, adding, "They are children... What can I tell them? That they will demolish our home?" His brother Fakhri said he had applied seven times for an Israeli permit to expand his house in Silwan, but all requests were denied. He added that more than a hundred Palestinians could become homeless if the current wave of demolitions continues. The future of another neighborhood in East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah, was a focal point in last month’s conflict between Israel and armed Palestinian factions.
