Israeli demolition acts in occupied Jerusalem condemned

The Kingdom has strongly condemned the Israeli forces demolition acts of dozens of Palestinian houses in Sur Baher in the occupied Jerusalem.  The Foreign Affairs Ministry affirmed its rejection of such illegal acts that blatantly violate the rights of the Palestinian people. 

The ministry reiterated the position of the Kingdom that supports the rights of the Palestinian people to establish their own independent state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the two-state solution and in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant international resolutions. 

It stressed the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibility in obliging Israel to respect the rights of the Palestinian people and preventing it from continuing such unacceptable acts that hinder the efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive and just peace in the region.  Israel has begun demolishing a cluster of Palestinian homes it says were built illegally too close to the separation barrier in the occupied West Bank.

Security forces moved in to Sur Baher, on the edge of East Jerusalem, to tear down buildings said to house many people. Residents said they had been given permits to build by the Palestinian Authority, and accused Israel of an attempt to grab West Bank land. But Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that they had violated a construction ban. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and later effectively annexed East Jerusalem. Under international law, both areas are considered to be occupied territory, though Israel disputes this.