Pictures and details: Demolishing three residential apartments in Silwan and Salah Eddin Street in Jerusalem
The occupation municipality’s bulldozers demolished on Tuesday morning two under-construction apartments in the neighborhood of Wadi Hilweh in Silwan (across from the southern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque). Large Israeli forces including Special Forces and police raided the building of “Abu Khaled -Abu Rmeileh” family around 4:30 a.m. and completely surrounded the area and assaulted the family with pepper gas and beating. The forces then brought the bulldozer to carry out the demolition process. Assault…and arrest Nidal Abu Khaled Abu Rmeileh, owner of the building, explained to Wadi Hilweh Information Center that the occupation forces raided the family’s house around 4:30 a.m. and assaulted the family members with pepper gas and injured the 22-year old Hashem Abu Khaled with wounds in his head and then arrested him and transferred him for treatment. The 22-year old Nour Eddin Abu Khaled was also injured in his face and the 24-year old Izz Eddin Abu Khaled suffered wounds and bruises in his eye. Also, the 70-year old Fatmeh Abu Khaled suffocated after being sprayed with pepper gas inside the house. Nidal added that the forces detained the family members inside the house and prevented them from going outside and then carried out the demolition process under the pretext of building without a permit. Demolition… Nidal Abu Khaled explained that the family started building the two apartments last November here every apartment was 70 square meters. They were being built for Izz Nidal Abu Khaled who is getting married in August and Hashem Emad Abu Khaled. Abu Khaled added that during the building process, the so-called Antiquities department came and ordered them to stop building and the occupation municipality issued an order to stop the building and demolish what has been already built. Abu Khaled pointed out that the Antiquities department, Nature and Parks authority as well as the municipality constantly raid their raid to stop the construction especially that it is located across from the walls of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dung Gate. He said: “The family was able to stop the demolition several times. Two months ago, the municipality gave us until to self-demolish the apartments.” Nidal also noted that the locals of “Dung Gate” area attempted to obtain a building permit but the municipality keeps rejecting their requests claiming that the land is “green” where building is prohibited. Nidal also explained that the occupation raided his house on 19/5/2015 to demolish the two apartments but they failed to bring the bulldozer inside the building’s courtyard and feared to cause any damage to a supporting wall built by the municipality but they threatened to come back within a week; note that they left after removing the fence around the building. After the demolition was over, the forces placed red tape around the land and demolished apartments and closed the main gate. Demolition in Salah Eddin Street The occupation municipality also demolished on Tuesday morning a residential apartment owned by Rafiq Salaymeh in Salah Eddin Street. According to the initial information available to Wadi Hilweh Information Center, the apartment is on the second floor and is roofed with iron and bricks. The municipality arrived in the early morning and evacuated the residents by force without prior notice; note that nine individuals live in the apartment where most of them are children. The municipality staff demolished the apartment using hand tools.
