Israel demolishes four houses in Arab east Jerusalem
6 November 2008
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel on Wednesday demolished four Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem which the authorities said were built without permits, triggering clashes in one of the city's Arab neighbourhoods.
In Silwan, young Palestinians hurled rocks at police who used teargas and stun grenades to disperse them, clearing the way for bulldozers to raze two houses, an AFP photographer reported.
"Police went to Silwan with a demolition unit to enforce court decisions," said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
"When they approached one of the houses, residents started hurling rocks," he said, adding that several people were detained but that there were no casualties.
A house in Shuafat and a wedding hall in Beit Hanina, also were destroyed.
Human rights groups have sharply criticised such demolitions, saying it is often impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits in east Jerusalem and in areas of the occupied West Bank under full Israeli control.
Israel's B'Tselem human rights groups says Israeli authorities demolished almost 350 houses in east Jerusalem since 2004 for lack of building permits.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it, calling the city its eternal and undivided capital. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their promised new state.
