The occupation raids two apartments in Silwan to demolish them
The occupation municipality’s staff along with a bulldozers and Israeli forces raided on Tuesday morning the apartments of Abu Khaled Abu Rmeileh in the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh “Dung Gate” in Silwan to execute a demolition order issued against two under-construction apartments. Wadi Hilweh Information Center was informed by Abu Khaled’s family that the municipality’s staff failed to take the “Bagger” inside the building’s courtyard to execute the demolition and feared to cause any damage to a municipality’s supporting wall. The forces removed the fence around the garden and threatened to come again next week. Abu Khaled’s family explained that the forces surrounded their building at 6:30 a.m. and prevented the residents from leaving and also prevented a lady from taking her grandson to school which led to the breakout of clashes using hands. The family added that they started building two apartments with a total area of 140 square meters for the cousins Nidal Izz Abu Khaled who is getting married in August and for Hashem Emad Abu Khaled. Emad explained that the building started last November and the so-called “Antiquities Authority” came and ordered to stop building. The occupation municipality also issued an order to stop the building and to demolish what was already built; Emad pointed out that the municipality, Natures and Park Authority and the Antiquities Authority have been raiding the land on a regular basis. He explained: “the family was able to stop the demolition order several times, but two months ago the municipality gave us until May to self-demolish the two apartments and the family was surprised see the municipality’s staff today.” Emad pointed out that the locals of “Dung Gate” tried to obtain a building permits but the municipality keeps on refusing their requests under the pretext that the land is “green” where building is prohibited.
