Ha'aretz: This is the real reason for Israel's destruction of dozens of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem

Israel's destruction of dozens of Palestinian homes in occupied Jerusalem was not for security reasons, as claimed by Tel Aviv, but for other purposes that serve the settlers.

The newspaper pointed out in an article by the writer Gideon Levy that the destruction of Jerusalem's houses by Israelis under the pretext of security violates the Oslo agreement and the principles of justice and also violates the special planning and building regulations set by the Israeli authorities themselves.

According to the author, the demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem on the grounds that they are close to the Israeli separation wall is a feeble argument that is not supported by the facts of the situation. This is evidenced by the Israeli authorities' indifference to the gaps caused by the demolitions that have not yet been repaired.

He stressed that the demolition of houses of Jerusalemites comes within the framework of Israel's policy to expand settlements and change the population structure of the city of Jerusalem.

The writer criticized the Israeli Supreme Court ruling on the legality of house demolitions and criticized the indifference of the Israeli people to the images of destruction coming from Jerusalem, which were similar to the scenes of destruction and destruction in Syria and the Gaza Strip.

The writer cited the testimonies of some Jerusalemites who were victims of the Israeli demolitions and who suffered heavy losses due to the illegal demolition of their houses, despite the fact that they have building permits from the Palestinian authorities.

He pointed out that construction work is under way on the road leading to the Wadi al-Homs neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, which witnessed the demolition of ten Palestinian housing units comprising 70 apartments, with the aim of expanding it to become a quick settler route linking the Ma'aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion settlements.

He said that the Palestinians whose houses were demolished in the Wadi al-Homs neighborhood came to him after their land was confiscated in the village of Um Tuba near the neighborhood that Israel turned into a settlement called Har Homa.

Israel confiscated part of the village's land in 1994 to build the settlement before confiscating more of the village's 5,000-strong land to build a road linking it to the settlement of Nokdim, the home of former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Some of the victims whose houses were demolished said they believed the move was part of an attempt to increase the popularity of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and increase his chances of winning the election, and nothing more.

"How can this demolition contribute to the strengthening of security?" Asked Mohammed Abu Tir, a Jerusalemite citizen whose house was demolished by the occupation. He said that the demolitions destroyed the future of forty Palestinian families.

According to the author, Abu Tayer lost more than $ 2.5 million when Israeli forces demolished a thirteen-story building.

Abu Tir, who was standing on the rubble of his project during his meeting with the writer, said that the Israeli soldiers who carried out the demolition were celebrating the scene of his 13-storey building, which is turning into rubble.