Israel presses demolition campaign against Palestinian structures in occupied East Jerusalem

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

Israeli police continued on Tuesday a campaign to demolish Palestinian structures in the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement, police said they launched the operation, dubbed “Capital Shield,” on Monday to strengthen what it called “sovereignty in the seam zone and enhance the sense of security in the public space.”

Kafr Aqab falls within the Israeli-defined municipal boundaries of occupied East Jerusalem, and most of its residents hold Israeli identity cards. However, the town is physically separated from East Jerusalem by Israel’s separation wall and the Qalandiya military checkpoint.

As part of the campaign, police said forces opened a section of the separation wall using engineering equipment to allow additional troops and vehicles to enter the area surrounding the town.

Police claimed that the targeted buildings were constructed illegally.

Regarding the duration of the campaign, police said it is expected to continue “in the coming days,” without specifying an end date.

Police also said its forces plan to carry out additional demolitions, including “dozens of buildings,” alleging they pose “a security threat to the area.”

On Monday, the Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli forces raided residential buildings in the area and forcibly evacuated some of them, while deploying large numbers of soldiers and snipers on balconies and rooftops.

The governorate said forces fired tear gas, stun grenades, live ammunition and rubber bullets during the operation.
The Palestinian statement said Israeli forces began demolishing structures along Airport Road on the pretext of building without permits.

The raid took place during peak hours as students and children were heading to school, causing tension and confusion amid heavy deployment of Israeli military vehicles and the closure of main and side roads, the governorate said.

Areas north of occupied East Jerusalem, particularly around the Qalandiya refugee camp, have seen repeated Israeli incursions involving road closures and raids, directly affecting daily life for Palestinians, especially students and workers.

East Jerusalem is surrounded by a wall of concrete and barbed wire, most of which was built on West Bank land. The wall rises more than 8 meters high and stretches about 202 kilometers, according to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.

Israel claims it built the wall for security reasons, while Palestinians and the United Nations say it is part of a plan to annex Palestinian land.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an advisory opinion declaring the wall illegal because it was built on occupied Palestinian territory.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, Palestinians say Israeli forces and illegal settlers have intensified attacks in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, killing more than 1,000 people and injuring hundreds. The violations also included home demolitions, displacement and settlement expansion.

Palestinians say these actions pave the way for Israel to formally annex the occupied West Bank, which would end the possibility of a two-state solution envisioned in UN resolutions.