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UN data points to rise in illegal building demolitions under Ben-Gvir

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Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 7, 144 structures were destroyed in eastern Jerusalem and Area C of Judea and Samaria.

By JNS

Israeli demolition of illegal Arab construction has risen sharply under Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 7, 42 structures were destroyed in eastern Jerusalem and 102 structures in Area C, a zone in Judea and Samaria under Israeli control.

In the same period last year, only 18 structures in eastern Jerusalem and 80 in Area C were demolished.

Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous government in 2021, during the same 38-day time period from Jan. 1 to Feb. 7, only four structures were demolished in eastern Jerusalem.

However, 152 structures were demolished in Area C over that timeframe, 50 more than during Ben-Gvir’s current tenure.

Ben-Gvir issued a directive to demolish illegal buildings in eastern Jerusalem following the shooting rampage at a Jerusalem synagogue on Jan. 27 that left seven Israeli citizens dead and a second shooting in the city the next morning that wounded two.

Demolitions began on Jan. 29, starting in the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood where 14 illegal structures were demolished.

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“Even this morning, the demolition of the illegal houses in Jerusalem continues,” Ben-Gvir tweeted on Jan. 30. “It’s one step in a series of important steps for governance and the war on terrorism.”

On Jan. 29, Ben-Gvir congratulated Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and the Jerusalem police for “enforcing the law and carrying it out immediately.”

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