Israel has ordered demolition of around 88 Palestinian homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, Palestinian officials warned.
Israeli Attorney, Yehuda Weinstein, handed demolition orders in
al-Bustan area claiming that the Arab houses were illegally built. Ahmed
al-Rowaidhi, chief of Jerusalem Unit at the Palestinian presidency,
said Israel's move will result in 1,500 Palestinians being evicted from
al-Bustan for the construction of a tourist center.
The Palestinian official added that Weinstein's decision may affect
20,000 homes in East Jerusalem, and some 100,000 Palestinians could be
displaced from the area if demolition orders are implemented.
In the meantime, sources recently said that Israel plans to sell 3,000
new settler units in Jerusalem next year after approval for the building
of 1,300 units in East Jerusalem.
In a separate instance, Israeli Attorney had asked its Jerusalem city
council to evict Jewish settlers from a building in the neighborhood of
Silwan, AFP reported on Thursday.