Palestinians observed a general strike in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabir on Thursday, in protest of planned home demolitions, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
YESTERDAY: Palestinian residents of #Jerusalem protest in front of the Israeli Municipality, against home demolitions in Palestinian neighborhoods. Protesters held signs condemning "ethnic cleansing" and "expulsion" policies. Photos by Activestills. pic.twitter.com/F0NHH5XFWR
— Activestills (@activestills) February 16, 2022
The strike saw the closure of local shops and stores in the neighborhood, where the Israeli occupation authorities want to demolish 800 Palestinian houses.
Ibrahim Bisher, the owner of one of the houses slated for demolition, said that the strike was held to voice rejection of Israel’s policy of systematic demolitions of Palestinian houses and forced expulsion in contract to illegal settlement expansion.
In addition, a family of 10, including six minors, was forced to demolish three rooms added to its home. Eight non-residential structures were also demolished. https://t.co/zhesAZvhUK
— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) March 10, 2022
Tariq Owaisat, a member of the Follow-up Committee in Jabal Al-Mukaber, said the municipality wants to destroy the homes to make way for a mall and 500 new settlement units.
Owaisat warned that the Israeli plan threatens hundreds of Palestinian families, and that the occupation municipality in Jerusalem is acting like a “gangster under the protection of the Israeli government.”
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
