GAZA, Palestine

The Hamas resistance group praised China on Saturday for its stance on the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the holy city of Jerusalem.

In a written statement, Hamas said Beijing once again demonstrated its commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.

The group called on the Chinese administration and leading international organizations to play a stronger role at the UN so the Israeli occupation would end.

Wu Haitao, China’s permanent representative at the UN, on July 23 called for the immediate halt of the demolitions in the Sur Baher area and criticized the violence against civilians.

At dawn on Monday, bulldozers accompanied by hundreds of Israeli soldiers moved into the neighborhood of Wadi Homs in East Jerusalem and began razing several buildings in the area.

Israeli authorities claim the buildings were constructed without a permit and posed a security risk to Israeli armed forces operating along the barrier which runs through the occupied West Bank.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

In a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it the self-proclaimed Jewish state’s “eternal and undivided” capital.