PALESTINIAN VILLAGE GOES ON STRIKE AFTER HOUSE RAZING

Gaza, 25 Jumadil Akhir 1436/14 April 2015 (MINA) – The northern Palestinian village of Kafr Kanna went on a general strike Monday after Israeli authorities razed the home of an Arab citizen under the pretext of having been built without a license.

Arab member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) Basel Ghattas denounced in a statement the “crime of razing the house of Tarek al-Khateeb in Kafr Kanna during the late hours of Sunday night.”

Ghattas described the move as a “continuation of [the Israeli] iron-fist policy and treatment of Arabs as enemies even when they build on their own land that they inherited from their parents and grandparents.”

The village of Kafr Kanna is located in the Lower Galilee in northern occupied Palestine, with a population of 25,000, according to the website of the village’s local council.

Clashes broke out Sunday between village residents and Israeli police and after an Israeli municipal official ordered the demolition of the house, Israeli radio had said.

“Police forces used teargas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds,” without leaving any casualties, Israeli radio reported, adding that a general strike has been announced on Monday to protest the demolition of the house. (T/P002/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)