Israel levels Palestinian Homes

Israel argues that the houses can legally be torn down because they were built without proper building permits. While this is true Palestinians complain that they are discriminated against and cannot get building permits and so must build without a legal permit.

The UN has condemned the demolitions and even Israeli human rights organisations have done so as well. The US response of course is quite muted. The demolitions are not helpful! Wow, take that you bad Israelis.

""Israel levels Palestinian homes

Israeli authorities have torn down several Palestinian houses in occupied east Jerusalem, defying international calls to halt the demolitions in the disputed city.

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, thousands of effectively illegal structures have been built in recent decades with Israel responding by destroying dozens of houses each year.

Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, had vowed to crack down on illegal construction in the city, including east Jerusalem, whose fate is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.....

... the United Nations on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to all forced evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the area, which was seized by Israel in the 1967 war.

"Such actions run counter to international law and have a serious and long-term negative impact on Palestinian families and communities," the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

"demolitions since the beginning of the year, according to OCHA, and many thousands more may be at risk.

The United States, which is seeking to revive peace talks in the long-standing dispute, called the latest demolitions "unhelpful".

The forced evictions and demolitions have raised tensions in the eastern half of the city, which Palestinians see as the capital of any future independent state.

The situation has prompted a number of protests and Palestinians have attempted to challenge the municipality's actions in the courts.

An Israeli rights group, Ir Amim, said the demolitions were "an irresponsible step that could escalate the situation in the city and bring it to a new boiling point".

A UN report in May showed that 1,500 demolition orders issued by the Jerusalem municipality were pending for illegal Palestinian dwellings.

The report said that if the orders were implemented, about 9,000 Palestinians would be displaced.

There are about 200,000 Jews living in East Jerusalem, alongside an estimated 250,000 Palestinians.""""