Al-Quds Center: Israeli demolition of residential building complete crime, deliberate displacement policy

Hassan Khater, head of al-Quds International Center, stated that the demolition by Israeli forces of a four-story residential building in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of Silwan in occupied al-Quds constitutes “a crime in every sense of the word and reflects a deliberate policy of displacement targeting the Palestinian presence in the holy city.”

Khater explained to the Palestinian news agency Shihab on Tuesday that the demolition displaced more than 100 Maqdesyans and was carried out in blatant violation of even the legal procedures that the Zionist enemy claims to uphold.

He pointed out that the demolition took place just hours before a court session was scheduled to review the demolition order, confirming that the true objective was demolition itself, not the application of the law.

He added that the pretext of “lack of a permit” no longer fools anyone, neither Palestinians nor international institutions.

He emphasized that what is happening is an organized and systematic policy being implemented throughout al-Quds and extending to all governorates of the West Bank, from north to south, including Masafer Yatta in Hebron, Bethlehem, Jericho, Nablus, Salfit, Jenin, and Tulkarm.

The head of the al-Quds International Center stated that these policies aim to displace as many Palestinians as possible and alter the Palestinian landscape, paving the way for a forced demographic change in the Arab population. This includes suppressing citizens and preventing them from building through threats of demolition, fines, and exorbitant losses, thus instilling fear and anxiety and driving forced migration.

Khater pointed out that the Israeli entity is working to legitimize settlements that were originally established without any permits or international or legal legitimacy. Instead, they are being licensed and transformed into “legal” settlements according to the enemy’s vision, revealing a dangerous imbalance and a blatant policy of discrimination.

He affirmed that what is happening is a systematic destruction of the Palestinian presence and a denial of their most basic rights to stability in their cities and villages, warning of the dangers of these policies.

He called for serious and deterrent international action to put an end to these organized crimes against the Palestinian people.