Israeli occupation forces yesterday demolished Palestinian houses in Bedouin communities east of occupied Jerusalem.

Dawood Al-Jahalin, a spokesperson for the Abu Nuwwar Bedouin community, east of Jerusalem, said that the Israeli forces stormed several Bedouin communities east of the town of Al-Eizariya and started dismantling and confiscating four houses made of corrugated iron.

He explained that the demolition process included the Abu Nuwwar community, Camel Valley and Al-Mintar neighbourhood.

Al-Jahalin pointed out that the demolition operations took place under the pretext of illegal construction procedure, noting that the residents did not receive any previous notification about the occupation authorities’ intention to demolish their houses.

He described the process as “hectic” saying: “For the first time we witness the demolition and confiscation of houses.”

The three communities are located in the middle of the illegal Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc.

The occupation government seeks to deport Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem in order to establish a settlement project called the  E1 zone.

According to Palestinian observers, the project aims to seize 12,000 dunams (12 square kilomtres) of Palestinian land stretching from East Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, with the aim of emptying the area of ​​any Palestinian presence, as part of a project to separate the south of the West Bank from its centre.