Israeli forces demolish Palestinian shop in East Jerusalem, triggering scuffles with residents

Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian shop in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan on Tuesday, triggering scuffles between police and residents who accused authorities of discriminatory enforcement of building permits in the holy city.

The shop is one of at least eight properties that residents said were slated for demolition. The residents say many have been there for decades, even from before 1967.

The authorities have earmarked the land for a park and say the shops and homes have been built illegally.

Palestinians in Silwan say it is near-impossible to get building permits. They see the demolitions as designed to drive them from Jerusalem. Disputing this, Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Arieh King said the municipality had approved hundreds of new Palestinian homes in Silwan.

Palestinian medics said 13 people were injured in Tuesday's confrontations in Silwan. Police said two officers were hurt by stone-throwers and that three people were arrested for disorderly conduct and assault.

The municipality had given Palestinians until June 28 to dismantle the structures themselves. King said the land would be cleared to make way for the park and public buildings, adding that Silwan's biblical links made it "an important historical site."

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