Israel begins demolishing Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem

Israel began demolishing dozens of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem on Monday, in a large-scale operation that has drawn criticism from the international community.

Bulldozers accompanied by hundreds of police and soldiers moved to dismantle the homes in the Palestinian village of Sur Baher, which lies close to an Israeli-built separation wall that runs for hundreds of miles through the West Bank.

The Israeli government says the proximity of the homes to the wall represent a security risk, and were built illegally, but critics argue the demolitions are part of a broader policy of forced displacement aimed at cementing Israel’s control of east Jerusalem.

Israel took control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, and Israel claims east Jerusalem is an indivisible part of its capital. The international community considers both areas to be occupied territory, and the Palestinians seek them as parts of a future independent state.

Sur Baher's location has placed it in the centre of these disputes. Parts of the village lie inside the municipal boundary of Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem and parts outside the barrier, in the West Bank. But some lies in between: just outside the Jerusalem line but still on the Israeli side of the barrier.

Palestinian owners say their buildings lay within areas run by the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. But Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a final appeal from residents of Sur Baher this month, clearing the way for the demolitions.

Gilad Erdan, Israel's minister of public security, said the Supreme Court ruled the illegal construction "constitutes a severe security threat and can provide cover to suicide bombers and other terrorists hiding among civilian population."

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh described the demolitions as a “grave aggression.”

"This is a continuation of the forced displacement of the people of Jerusalem from their homes and lands — a war crime and a crime against humanity," he said.

The European Union criticised the demolitions, saying in a statement that “the continuation of this policy undermines the viability of the two-state solution and the prospect for a lasting peace."

Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator, and other UN officials called on the Israeli authorities last week to halt the demolition plans. They said 17 Palestinians faced displacement from the plans to level 10 buildings, including dozens of apartments.

With additional reporting by agencies