Israel demolishes two Palestinian homes, plans to tear down al-Quds mosque’s golden dome

The Israeli regime has demolished two more Palestinian houses that were still in the construction stage in the occupied West Bank on the excuse that they lacked a construction permit, while at the same time announcing a plan to demolish a mosque’s golden dome in occupied al-Quds.

According to Palestine’s official Wafa news agency, Israeli soldiers on Thursday raided an area in the village of al-Dyouk, west of the ancient West Bank city of Jericho, where they demolished the two houses.

The occupying regime claims that the houses were built in Area C without a permit, which is impossible for Palestinians to get in an area fully under the control of the Israeli military.

Israel regularly flattens Palestinian homes and structures in al-Quds on the pretext that they lack building permits, expropriating more Palestinian lands to expand its illegal settlements.

This is while the international community considers Israeli settlement construction illegal under international law and an obstacle to the so-called two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian expert: Israel seeks to change al-Quds demography through settlement construction

A Palestinian expert says Israel seeks to change the geography and demography of East al-Quds through its settlement activities.

Nearly 700,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

The UN Security Council has in several resolutions condemned the Tel Aviv regime’s settlement projects in the occupied Palestinian lands.

‘Settlers displeased with mosque’s dome’

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities notified Palestinian community leaders in the southern al-Quds neighborhood of Beit Safafa that the regime’s forces would tear down the golden dome of a mosque there.

Muhammad Alian, a Palestinian community leader, said on Thursday that the Israeli municipality of al-Quds verbally notified him and other community leaders of the plan to demolish the golden dome of the recently-renovated and expanded al-Rahman mosque, which was built before the occupying regime came into existence in 1948.

He explained that Israel decided to destroy the dome after a complaint lodged by settlers expressing displeasure with it.

Alian urged Beit Safafa residents to confront the move, which he denounced as part of Israel’s colonial, racist policy.

Beit Safafa, located some six kilometers to the southeast of occupied al-Quds, is surrounded by Israeli settlements.

Hamas leader: Israel won’t be able to change reality of occupied Quds

Hamas’ politburo chief says the Israeli regime’s actions cannot change the reality on the ground concerning occupied al-Quds.

The regime in Tel Aviv has seized hundreds of donums of lands there for the construction of new illegal settlements and settler-only pass-by roads. The plot has pushed the residents into a crowded enclave surrounded by walls, settlements, and military installations.

In May, the continuation of the regime’s land grab in the occupied West Bank sparked a war between the Israeli military and the Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip that lasted 11 days. During the war, Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza killed over 250 Palestinians, including 66 children.

In addition to expanding its illegal settlements, Israel restricts Palestinian people’s freedom of movement not only in and out of Palestine but also within it. Israeli settlers, backed by the military, routinely storm the al-Aqsa mosque and provoke clashes with Palestinian worshipers.

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