[News] Israel to destroy 20,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem

[News at freedomarchives.org]

<http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=7563>http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=7563



Israel to destroy 20,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem

3/13/2005 3:20:00 PM GMT

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A Palestinian woman whose house was demolished by Israeli forces in Jerusalem.

The Israeli authorities announced that there are some 20,000 Palestinian 
residential houses in the city of Jerusalem and its outskirts which they 
allege were built without licenses.

The announcement came as preparations were underway to demolish those 
homes, while a further 6,000 homes were also handed demolition notices.

Palestinians living in the holy city accused the Israeli Jerusalem 
municipality of imposing high taxes against them and allocating about 2 
million dollar to demolish their homes.

The latest steps by Tel Aviv are seen by many as further steps taken 
against the Palestinian people and their lands in a bid to 'turn' the city 
of Jerusalem into a Jewish faith one rather than a multi-faith one.

Meanwhile, Israel's military chief said the Jewish state plans on building 
a temporary fence separating Jerusalem from the West Bank by July.

Israel says the structure is needed to protect its cities but the 
Palestinians say it's an illegal confiscation of land.

Adding even more fuel to the fire is the barrier's effects on commerce. 
Arab east Jerusalem is a commercial center for Palestinians. The fence will 
prevent thousands of people in the West Bank from reaching jobs, public 
services and holy sites.

The barrier's route in the Jerusalem area remains in dispute due to legal 
challenges filed by Israeli and Palestinian residents of border villages.

1500 Israeli violations

A legal data report states that the Israeli army has continuously violated 
the truce announced between the Palestinian resistance groups and the 
Israeli government. The report states that the violations committed have 
been continuously occurring for four weeks.

There have been 1500 Israeli violations since the start of the truce, 
nearly a month ago, including the killing of 11 Palestinians and wounding 
100 others, and the storming of many villages and cities in the West Bank 
and Gaza Strip, the report added.

More than 210 Palestinians were arrested, and Palestinian agricultural 
lands were confiscated, the report pointed out.

Another report records that more than 452 Israeli violations against the 
Palestinian people occurred resulting in the death of one Palestinian and 
the wounding of 23 others from February 28 until March 7 of this year.

These violations all occurred after Israel had announced that it would be 
committed to the truce reached during the Sham Al Sheikh summit last February.

For their part, the Palestinian resistance groups have repeatedly announced 
their commitment to the truce in order to further help the PA chief, 
Mahmoud Abbas.



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