Israeli bulldozers raze 3 east Jerusalem buildings after demolition lull
By APTuesday, July 13, 2010
Israeli bulldozers raze 3 east Jerusalem buildings
JERUSALEM — Israeli bulldozers have destroyed three unfinished buildings in contested east Jerusalem, raising Palestinian charges that the municipality is resuming house demolitions after a pause to encourage peace talks.
The municipality says the razed structures were not homes, that they were illegally built and not populated.
But 48-year-old Palestinian resident Basem Isawi says one of the buildings was his unfinished house.
Neighborhood residents said on Tuesday that the second structure was also a house while the third was a warehouse.
East Jerusalem house demolitions are a volatile issue because of conflicting Israeli and Palestinian claims to that sector of the holy city. Israel last demolished a house there in October.
