Israel Demolishes Palestinian Homes in East Jerusalem
VOA News
13 July 2010
Israeli authorities have evicted a Palestinian family and demolished their home in East Jerusalem.
Demolition crews protected by Israeli security forces also tore down two other buildings under construction in East Jerusalem, a mostly Arab area that was occupied by Israel after the 1967 war.
The demolitions were the first in eight months.
Israel says the buildings were destroyed because they were built without permits. Palestinians say they are forced to build without permits because Israel rarely agrees to Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem as part of an effort to undermine Palestinian claims to the eastern part of the city.
Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its capital, but Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem is not recognized internationally.
Israel suspended home demolitions last year when the United States increased pressure on both Israelis and Palestinians to avoid actions that could undermine efforts to restart the peace process.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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