Apartment, 3 businesses demolished in east Jerusalem by municipality
This is the third time the second floor of the building has been demolished by the municipality as the city government continues to deny the family a building permit.
By TZVI JOFFREA building demolished in Issawiya, Dec. 17, 2019(photo credit: AMAR AROURI/B'TSELEM)
Jerusalem municipality employees demolished the second floor of a house in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya and three businesses in the neighborhood of Beit Hanina on Tuesday morning, according to B'Tselem.The employees, accompanied by Border Police officers and two bulldozers, demolished an unoccupied apartment on the second floor of a two-story building in Isawiya. A family of four and a family of three live on the ground floor of the building. Damage was caused to the roof of the ground floor during the demolition and it is currently unclear if the building is fit for residency.The second floor was intended for housing one of the families who live in the crowded space on the ground floor and was designed to be accessible for the father of the family who is confined to a wheelchair. The family's house has already been demolished in the past.According to the Palestinian WAFA news agency, the second floor of the house was demolished because it was built without a permit. Raed Abu Riyala, a member of the Isawiya Follow-Up Committee, told WAFA that Israelis sealed off the area around the house before demolishing the second floor and that this is the third time the second floor of the building has been demolished by the municipality as the city government continues to deny the family a building permit.Isawiya is located adjacent to Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus campus and Hadassah-University Medical Center that is home to an estimated 22,000 Palestinians. The neighborhood is often referred to by its local activists as “The little Gaza” and “The Lions’ Den” because of frequent clashes between youths and police forces.Later on Tuesday morning, municipality employees, along with Border Police officers and a bulldozer, demolished three business in the Beit Hanina neighborhood that were located on a shared plot of land. The businesses included a car dealership and two car wash businesses. One of the car washes had already been demolished in the past. Security forces also confiscated a container used by one of the car washes.Abby Seitz and Khaled Abu Toameh contributed to this report.
Related Tagsdemolition
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
