PIJ spokesperson Tariq Salmi stated that there has been an "escalation" of the Israeli policy of demolishing Palestinian buildings built without a permit, adding that it is "an aggressive policy aimed at continuing pressure on Jerusalemites and besieging them in all aspects of life, leading to their displacement and deportation from Jerusalem."
"These crimes and terrorism targeting Jerusalemites require action to activate all required measures to protect and rescue them, and to strengthen their steadfastness in the face of ethnic cleansing policies and all the crimes committed by the terrorist occupation against them," said Salmi, calling for the activation of the "resistance in all its forms" in response.
Salmi's comments come just hours after Muhammad Nassar Al-Husseini was forced to demolish his home in the Silwan neighborhood of east Jerusalem on Tuesday morning due to the fact that he lacked a permit when he built the building. After the demolition, three families are now left without a home to live in, according to Palestinian reports.
Another family in Silwan has been given 48 hours to demolish their home as well.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli forces closed the entrances to Silwan and set up a number of checkpoints, according to Palestinian media. The reports did not explain why the action was taken.
In the past week, eight Palestinian families in east Jerusalem have been forced to demolish their homes. On Monday evening, a Palestinian was forced to demolish his home in Jabel Mukaber.
Palestinian media claimed that dozens of notices have been issued to Palestinian families in east Jerusalem, giving them 48 hours to demolish their homes that they built without a permit. Those who refuse to demolish the structures themselves are forced to pay NIS 200,000 for the city to demolish them, according to the reports.
Some 24 Palestinian homes were demolished in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in June, according to Palestinian media.
Dozens of Palestinian buildings in east Jerusalem are demolished every year by the municipality due to their being built without a permit. Palestinians argue that they're left with no choice but to build without permits, as the government rarely approves building permits for Palestinians.
Silwan is located at the southern end of the Temple Mount near the Dung Gate and is home to the City of David archaeological site, believed to be the site of the ancient city of Jerusalem during and before the Davidic dynasty.
The Jerusalem neighborhood originally housed Yemenite Jews who arrived in Jerusalem in the late 1800s. The Jewish residents were forced out of the neighborhood and their homes were razed in 1938 by British authorities amid dangerous Arab revolts in the area.Violent riots have taken place in Silwan and in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem in recent weeks in response to building demolitions and eviction orders against Palestinian residents. Evictions in Sheikh Jarrah were one of the flashpoints which sparked Operation Guardian of the Walls.