Ramallah, July 13 (Petra) – Israeli occupation forces are escalating
their violations in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem on Monday,
conducting widespread raids, issuing stop-work orders, forcing
Palestinians to demolish their own homes, seizing land and carrying
out arrest campaigns.

In the town of Al Khader, south of occupied Bethlehem, Israeli
occupation forces issued stop-work orders for several Palestinian
homes and structures after raiding the town and opening fire,
according to Mahmoud Abdullah Issa, a member of the Al Khader
Municipal Council.

In occupied Jerusalem, Israeli authorities forced a Palestinian
resident to demolish his own home in the town of Umm Tuba under the
threat of demolition by the Israeli municipality and a fine of up to
USD26,45.

The house was home to a family of seven, who were left homeless. The
demolition was carried out under the self-demolition policy imposed
by the Israeli authorities on Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

Separately, Israeli occupation forces launched raids across several
areas of the occupied West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, triggering
clashes that left several Palestinians injured and others suffering
from tear gas inhalation.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Israeli forces arrested 14
Palestinians after raiding their homes and subjecting them to field
interrogations before transferring them to Israeli interrogation
centres.

In a separate development, crews from the Israeli municipality
entered the Al Bustan neighbourhood in Silwan, south of Al Aqsa
Mosque and posted a temporary land seizure order covering
approximately 4.7 dunams belonging to the Al Taweel family.

The measure is a preliminary step toward converting the land into a
public space as part of the planned “King’s Garden” project, which
Israeli authorities say is based on biblical heritage sites.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Centre said the Al Bustan neighbourhood
has faced years of demolition and displacement campaigns targeting
Palestinian residents, amid the continued refusal by Israeli
authorities to issue building permits for local residents.

//Petra// AK