Jerusalem Residents Protest Ethnic Cleansing by Israel

Jerusalem, MINA – Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in the city of Jerusalem against the ethnic cleansing of their homes by the Israeli occupation forces.

Protesters carried banners that read in Arabic, English and Hebrew, “no to ethnic cleansing”, “Stop the house demolition”, “Your goal is racist”, “Our home is our life” and “The resolve of the people of Jerusalem is high,” Wafa reported on Sunday.

Palestinians from the Jabal al-Mukabir neighborhood gave a statement during the protest that read, “Our protest is a message to the Israeli Municipality and its mayor that the people of Jabal al-Mukabir will defend themselves.”

“The demolition of our house is killing us and erasing our existence. We will remain here and will not leave,” the statement added.

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“Jerusalem is left alone, and if we don’t act, there is no home or whereabouts,” the statement continued.

Protesters also chanted slogans condemning the recent ethnic cleansing campaign targeting the Palestinian Bedouin community in the Naqab region of occupied southern Palestine.

Palestinians in Jerusalem say they are being forced to build without permits because it is difficult to obtain building permits. The right-wing mayor and city council are trying to keep the Palestinian population in the city to a minimum while doubling the Jewish population.

Nearly 75 percent of permit applications by Palestinians in Jerusalem were rejected by the city government, according to rights groups.

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In recent weeks, a greening campaign led by the Jewish National Fund campaign in Naqab sparked widespread protests by the Palestinian Bedouin community in the area.

Palestinians say the reforestation campaign is just another attempt by the Israeli occupation to seize their land. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)