West Bank: Israeli Occupation Demolishes Residential Building in Jerusalem as Settlers Escalate Attacks
Occupation forces demolish a building in al-Tur while Ben-Gvir watches; settlers attack in Nablus and Aqraba.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Ramallah, Oct 6 (KUNA) -- Israeli occupation forces began demolishing a residential building in the town of Al-Tur, east of occupied Jerusalem, on Tuesday, while settlers continued their attacks on Palestinians and their property in various parts of the West Bank.
The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that Israeli occupation forces, accompanied by several military vehicles, stormed Al-Tur, surrounded a five-story building containing ten residential apartments, forcibly evacuated its residents, and commenced its demolition. It added that the forces prevented residents from retrieving their belongings and assaulted several of them with beatings, noting that Israel’s so-called Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the site of the demolition operation.
The governorate explained that occupation authorities served the residents with a final demolition notice on Monday, after years of pursuing them with demolition notices and imposing financial fines and violations, while refusing to grant them a building permit. It pointed out that the decision to demolish the building was issued in 2022, but residents managed to halt its implementation at the time through Israeli courts. It noted that they had paid tens of thousands of dollars in fines and violations over the past years in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a building permit.
The demolition comes amid ongoing restrictions imposed by occupation authorities on Palestinian construction in occupied Jerusalem, alongside the continued approval of settlement plans in the city and its surroundings. According to statistics from the Jerusalem Governorate, demolition and bulldozing operations in the governorate reached 427 since the beginning of the year until the end of last September.
In a related development, settlers continued their attacks in the West Bank, inscribing racist and inciting slogans on the walls of a livestock farm in the Salfit Governorate, including calls for “revenge” and phrases urging the continuation of attacks against Palestinians. Additionally, settlers set fire to four vehicles in the town of Qarantina, south of Nablus, which is repeatedly targeted by settler attacks.
Settler attacks are escalating with the start of the olive harvest season in October, with dozens of attacks recorded on olive groves in recent days. The Israeli occupation army has also announced the prohibition of harvesting olives in several areas classified as Area C, which are under its control.
Foreign solidarity activists accompany Palestinian farmers every year during the olive season to support them in accessing their lands and protect them from settler attacks, although some activists face beatings, expulsion, and threats while in the fields. (End) N.Q. / M.N.F.
