Jun 1, 2005
Jerusalem 'to raze 88 Arab homes'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4597401.stm
Jerusalem 'to raze 88 Arab homes'
[Palestinian residents of Silwan watch Israeli bulldozers destroying their homes]
Silwan residents have already seen their share of demolitions
Arab residents of East Jerusalem have been demonstrating against a reported Israeli plan to demolish 88 homes.
Israeli press reports say City Engineer Uri Shetrit is planning the demolitions in the Silwan neighbourhood.
Mr Shetrit is quoted as saying that most of the homes are illegal and he wants to build an archaeological park.
Lawyers say it would be one of the largest demolitions in a single area of Jerusalem since Israel captured the Arab east of the city in 1967.
Some residents say they have received court orders for demolition. They have appealed because their houses pre-date Israel's occupation of the area.
A lawyer for some residents told the BBC that two houses had been knocked down in the past two months.
The area lies just below the walled Old City and near key sites holy to Muslims and Jews.
The Israeli paper Haaretz says the proposed park would connect several Jewish settlement enclaves already established in Silwan to the nearby archaeological area of the City of David.
Jerusalem 'to raze 88 Arab homes'
[Palestinian residents of Silwan watch Israeli bulldozers destroying their homes]
Silwan residents have already seen their share of demolitions
Arab residents of East Jerusalem have been demonstrating against a reported Israeli plan to demolish 88 homes.
Israeli press reports say City Engineer Uri Shetrit is planning the demolitions in the Silwan neighbourhood.
Mr Shetrit is quoted as saying that most of the homes are illegal and he wants to build an archaeological park.
Lawyers say it would be one of the largest demolitions in a single area of Jerusalem since Israel captured the Arab east of the city in 1967.
Some residents say they have received court orders for demolition. They have appealed because their houses pre-date Israel's occupation of the area.
A lawyer for some residents told the BBC that two houses had been knocked down in the past two months.
The area lies just below the walled Old City and near key sites holy to Muslims and Jews.
The Israeli paper Haaretz says the proposed park would connect several Jewish settlement enclaves already established in Silwan to the nearby archaeological area of the City of David.