The occupation forces began the new year by carrying out a demolition operation targeting the home of a holy family living in the town of Al-Walaja, south of occupied Jerusalem.
The occupation forces, accompanied by a military bulldozer, stormed the Ain Hawiza area in Al-Walaja and demolished a house belonging to one of the Abu Rizq family.
Jerusalemite sources reported that the house belongs to the Jerusalemite citizen, Nisreen Abu Rizq, and houses five people who have become homeless.
The sources indicated that the demolition took place without prior warning, and the family was not allowed to empty the contents of their home.
The village of Al-Walaja has been subjected to a settlement attack for years, including the demolition of dozens of homes, other demolition notices, halting construction, bulldozing of lands, cutting down trees, and demolishing retaining walls, with the aim of implementing settlement ambitions.
The occupation is trying to seize the area for settlement purposes by linking the settlements together in the “Gush Etzion” complex.
According to observers, 800 settlement units will be built in the Walaja area, even though according to occupation law it is “state land” and is owned by the Lillo family and is located next to an occupation road.
Al-Walaja village is one of the villages that were evacuated in 1948. It is located (5.8) km southwest of occupied Jerusalem, and (4) km north of Bethlehem. It is considered one of the oldest villages in Palestine.
The occupation seized 74% of the village’s lands in 1948, where the village’s buildings and houses were demolished, and the “Amindav” settlement was built on its ruins in 1950. However, some of the village’s landmarks still exist, bearing witness to its Arab identity and the displacement of its inhabitants.