Clashes after houses demolished in Walajeh village
(3 Sep 2018) LEADIN: Israeli security forces fired tear stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse a group of Palestinians who are angry because an Israeli court has ordered the demolition of their houses in the West Bank. STORYLINE: Angry scenes in the West Bank village of Walajeh this morning as residents are left frustrated and upset at a court order that has green-lit their homes for demoltion. It was not immediately clear what the court order said and precisely why the houses in Walajeh were being demolished. Israeli border police pulled out the residents from the constructions after some of the residents resisted being led away. Heavy machinery was then brought in to start demolishing a block of buildings. There has been no immediate confirmation on how many may have been injured. One livid resident is Um Mohammed. "I wasn't afraid, and I'm not afraid, because my parents taught me not to be afraid. They taught me that this is our land, this our homeland, and they have nothing to do with it. They need to be outside and we need to be inside. Walajeh is sacred, they can't have it. They demolish a house we build another," she says, defiantly. The village is sandwiched between two Jewish neighbourhoods close to Bethlehem, and Palestinians say plans to expand the neighbourhoods threaten to turn it into a Palestinian enclave. Activist Ahmad Odeh gives an overview of the situation. "When the occupation (forces) started demolishing those houses, Palestinian youth and Palestinian Popular Resistance stood in support of those residents that their houses were demolished and were displaced. Clashes started in Walajeh because of the demolition that took place today," he says. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war. Security forces frequently demolish the houses of Palestinians involved in terror attacks or those that stand accused of being built without a permit issued by Israeli authorities. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
