JAKARTA - Israel evicted dozens of Palestinians who inhabited housing equivalent to apartment buildings (rusun) in East Jerusalem on Monday, December 22.
Israel again cited the eviction because the four-story building was illegal. In fact, East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory that Israel annexed.
"This destruction is a tragedy for all the residents," Eid Shawar, who lives in the building, told AFP.
The forced eviction was carried out by an Israeli bulldozer by demolishing a four-story building, specifically in the Silwan neighborhood near the Old City.
The area consists of a dozen apartments inhabited by around 100 people, many of whom are women, children, and elderly residents.
"They broke down the door while we were sleeping and told us that we could only change clothes and bring important letters and documents," continued the father of five children.
With nowhere else to go, Shawar said his family of seven had to sleep in his car.
Three bulldozers began demolishing the building on Monday morning, an AFP journalist at the scene reported, as residents watched with their clothes and belongings strewn on the surrounding streets.
Israeli police closed roads around it, with security forces deployed throughout the area and stationed on the roofs of neighboring houses.
Built on privately owned Palestinian land, activists say the building was planned to be demolished by Israel for lack of a permit.
According to activists, Palestinians face severe obstacles in obtaining building permits due to Israel's strict planning policies, an issue that has fueled tensions in East Jerusalem and across the occupied West Bank for years.
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