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Israel demolishes east Jerusalem building, evicting Palestinians
The demolition is the largest in East Jerusalem this year, displacing 100 Palestinians amid ongoing disputes over building permits and land zoning policies.
On Monday, Israeli authorities demolished a four-storey residential building in the Silwan neighbourhood near the Old City in annexed east Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem municipality said the demolition followed a 2014 court order because the land is zoned for leisure and sports, while activists monitoring demolitions blame restrictive permit rules and re-designation of privately owned Palestinian land.
Three bulldozers began ripping into the structure early on Monday, while Israeli police cordoned roads and security forces deployed on rooftops; Israeli settlers reportedly attacked displaced Palestinians.
The building housed a dozen apartments with approximately 100 people, many women, children and elderly residents, and Eid Shawar said his seven-member family must sleep in his car after demolition.
Critics argued the action fits a systematic policy to displace Palestinians amid the highly contentious status of Jerusalem, while activists described the razing as the largest demolition this year targeting Palestinian homes.
Israeli excavators broke down a four-story building in East Jerusalem on Monday and left dozens of Palestinians homeless, a demolition that activists say is the largest in the area this year.