On Tuesday, the Israeli occupation authorities demolished a residential building for the Al-Rajabi family in the town of Silwan, south of occupied Jerusalem, claiming that it was building without a permit, causing the displacement of more than 30 people, while the Palestinian Authority demanded the imposition of sanctions on Israel.

Municipality crews and large forces of the occupation police surrounded the 3-storey building, owned by the Al-Rajabi family, before demolishing it using a large bulldozer.

Eyewitnesses said that the Israeli police forcibly evicted the al-Rajabi family from their home in the Ein al-Lawza neighborhood in Silwan, which was established about 8 years ago, and that they did not enable the family, numbering about 40 people, mostly women and children, to remove the furniture from the house.

They stated that the occupation police beat the family members, to force them to leave the building.

Part of the picture is of the Al-Rajbi family's house before its demolition, and the other is of the destruction left by the occupation mechanisms after the demolition of the house in Silwan today pic.twitter.com/cfJbE1EFDi

— AlQastal Al Qastal (@AlQastalps) May 10, 2022

Zoom in and cry

The family members stopped a short distance away, looking at an Israeli bulldozer demolishing the house, chanting the takbeer and anti-occupation slogans, while some of the women broke down in tears.

The building contained 5 apartments before it was demolished, leaving family members without shelter, while the municipality or the Israeli police did not officially comment on the demolition.

Local sources: "The occupation forces begin to demolish the home of the Rajabi family in the town of Silwan, occupied Jerusalem." # Palestine # Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/GvnaeXkzAg

— Palestinian Information Center (@PalinfoAr) May 10, 2022

Condemnation and demand for sanctions

For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the demolition, and demanded the imposition of sanctions on Israel to force it to stop its violations.

The ministry said, in a statement, that it condemns (..) in the strongest terms the heinous and heinous crime committed by the occupation forces, considering it a war crime and a crime against humanity.

Press coverage: "The oppression and grief of the owners of the Al-Rajbi family home, which the occupation is preparing to demolish in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque" pic.twitter.com/3IFrj9YXiR

— AlQastal Al Qastal (@AlQastalps) May 10, 2022

It called on the international community to impose the most severe sanctions on the occupying power to force it to stop its violation and aggression (..) and to submit to the international will for peace.

The Israeli municipality had imposed a fine on the family, before it officially informed them last year of the demolition decision.

The building is located among dozens of other Palestinian homes that are threatened with demolition in Silwan, due to unauthorized construction.

“They left their house this morning to go to school, and when they came back they did not find him, but they found rubble in his place.”

Palestinian children from the Al-Rajabi family cry their house, which was destroyed by the occupation mechanisms in occupied #Jerusalem.

pic.twitter.com/lh5Y23dqzq

— Radwan Akhras (@rdooan) May 10, 2022

Dozens of families in Silwan neighborhoods, including Ain al-Lawza, al-Bustan and Wadi Yasul, face Israeli warnings to demolish their homes, while dozens of families in Batn al-Hawa neighborhood face decisions to vacate their homes in favor of Israeli settlers.

Over the past years, dozens of settlers have managed to seize many Palestinian properties in the town of Silwan, located to the south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Palestinians and Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights organizations say that the Israeli authorities are restricting Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem, while expanding settlements on the city's lands.

The Al-Rajbi family in Jerusalem, the occupation demolished their multi-storey house after they suddenly stormed it, and they only took their clothes with them pic.twitter.com/nwe73TLBaa

- Khaberni Khaberni (@khaberni) May 10, 2022

Arrests and injuries

In Nablus, a number of Palestinians were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets, and dozens of others suffocated with tear gas, during clashes that erupted in Joseph's Tomb area, east of the city.

Dozens of young men went out to confront the occupation forces that stormed the eastern area of ​​Nablus to protect extremist settlers. They headed to Joseph's Tomb to perform Talmudic rituals.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces arrested, at dawn on Tuesday, eight Palestinians in separate parts of the West Bank.

The arrests included two citizens from the town of Rummana, west of Jenin, while the rest of the arrests were distributed to the cities of Ramallah, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, and Nablus.

The detainees were transferred to interrogation centers, accused of being involved in acts of resistance to the occupation.

Local sources: The occupation arrested a young man from the vicinity of the Al-Rajabi family home in Silwan shortly after the attack on him.

pic.twitter.com/wmucWNWMSB

- Quds News Network (@qudsn) May 10, 2022

Al-Aqsa Mosque status

On the other hand, Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, said that there has been no change in the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli sovereignty is being preserved, he said.

And he confirmed in a tweet on Twitter, that Israel takes all decisions related to Al-Aqsa without paying attention to pressures exerted on it by foreign or political parties.

He added that the Israeli government did not respond to a request to increase the staff of Islamic endowments at Al-Aqsa Mosque, submitted by Jordan a month and a half ago.

He pointed out that the authorities removed six endowment guards who support Hamas, and in return agreed to appoint 12 new endowment employees, within the framework of the existing properties without increasing their number.

A source at the Ministry of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places in Jerusalem confirmed that the responsibility and authority to appoint guards and employees belong to the ministry, in coordination with the Islamic Endowments Department, and that the ministry does not accept participation or dictation from any party, including the Israeli occupation government.

He said that the ministry has appointed more than 70 guards since 2016, but what he described as arbitrary and arrogant measures, and the restrictions of the Israeli police, constitute an obstacle to guards and employees from joining their work.

Faction warning

For its part, the Palestinian resistance factions warned the Israeli occupation against committing any folly against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the leaders of the Palestinian resistance.

In a press conference, Hamas leader Ismail Radwan said that targeting any of the resistance leaders will open to the occupation the gates of hell, and its repercussions go beyond the borders of Palestine.

chariots of fire

Yesterday, the Israeli army announced the start of a month-long comprehensive maneuvers under the name "chariots of fire", in which all arms of the army, including regular and reserve soldiers, participate.

The exercises were postponed last year, due to the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Israeli army said that the goal of the maneuvers is to raise the army's readiness and prepare it for a long-term battle.

He added that Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi had identified the objectives required for the maneuvers;

It is to enhance the readiness for war on the offensive and defensive levels, and to draw lessons from the recent war on the Gaza Strip last May.

Parallel to the maneuvers, the debate continues in Israel over the issue of the assassination of Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Al-Sinwar as the first and last person responsible for inciting the implementation of operations in the heart of Israeli cities.

The opposition is taking advantage of the situation to accuse the Bennett government of negligence and paralysis in dealing with what it calls terrorism, while the army and security establishment advise the government not to be drawn into calls for the assassination of Sinwar;

Because that would strengthen it and drag Israel into war.