Israeli army bulldozers have destroyed one Palestinian house in the Sur-Bahir area south east of the city of Jerusalem on Wednesday morning. The house is privately owned by Atta Sarhan and is the home of two families with 40 members in total. The bulldozers have finished leveling the first house and started to demolish another nearby house that belongs to Mussa Atton, eyewitnesses reported. Local sources reported that this morning a massive force of Israeli troops and police surrounded the area and forced families out of their homes, then started to demolish the first house. Residents of Sur-Bahir are afraid that these two houses will not be the only homes targeted, considering the fact that last week, the Israeli municipality of the occupied city of Jerusalem issued demolition orders to at least 20 homes in the area. The reason given by the Municipality is the standard excuse: that the houses are 'built without permits'. Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967, the Israeli authorities have refused to give building permits to Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, but have approved thousand of homes in Jewish Settlements in and around the city. According to the Israeli government's official plan, the intention is to have a Jewish majority in the city of Jerusalem by the year 2010, with 70% Jews and 30% Palestinians.
