Israel demolishes Palestinian-owned building in East Jerusalem’s Silwan

EAST JERUSALEM - MAY 10: Israeli municipality in Jerusalem on Tuesday (May 10) demolished a Palestinian residential building in the Silwan region of East Jerusalem under the pretext of lack of a building permit. The two-story building which belonged to the Rajabi family was cordoned off by municipal workers and the Israeli police before demolition. Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli police forcibly evicted the Al-Rajabi family consisting of 40 people from their home in the Ain Al-Lawza neighborhood in Silwan, which was established about eight years ago. Family members stopped a short distance away, looking at an Israeli bulldozer demolishing the house, chanting "God is great", while some of the women broke down in tears. Some of the residents who resisted the demolition were beaten by the police, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The Red Crescent said it handled five cases of Palestinians beaten by the police, one of them was transferred to hospital. The Israeli municipality had imposed a fine on the family before it officially informed them last year of the demolition decision. The building was among dozens of other Palestinian homes that are threatened with demolition in Silwan, due to unauthorized construction. Dozens of families in Silwan neighborhoods, including Ain al-Lawza, al-Bustan and Wadi Yasul, face Israeli warnings to demolish their homes, while dozens of other families in Batn al-Hawa neighborhood face decisions to vacate their homes in favor of Israeli settlers. Over the past years, dozens of settlers have managed to seize many Palestinian properties in Silwan, located to the south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.(Footage by Faiz Abu Rmeleh/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)