Israel demolishes municipal slaughterhouse in Bethlehem

Israeli forces on Tuesday demolished the main slaughterhouse of the town of Beit Sahour,  east of Bethlehem, according to security sources.

Hani Hayek, head of Beit Sahour municipality, told WAFA that Israeli army demolished a slaughterhouse which belongs to the town’s municipality, under the pretext of construction without Israel’s permission.

He said the slaughterhouse was built in 2011 with a total cost of $140,000. It was composed of six stores, a large closet, and five large umbrellas, all built on an area of 500 square meters.

Meanwhile, the army demolished a veranda in a house which is adjacent to the demolished slaughterhouse, as well as seized a caravan from the site, Hayek added.

To be noted, issuance of construction permits by Israeli authorities for Palestinians in Area C and in Jerusalem, unlike for Israeli settlers, is strictly ed. Over the course of 2015, Israel demolished 521 structures in Area C as well as in East Jerusalem, displacing 636 people, according to the UN monitoring group OCHA.

The vast majority of these demolitions were carried out on the grounds of construction without a permit. Between 2010 and 2014, only 1.5 percent of applications for building permits in Area C were approved by Israeli occupation authorities, OCHA adds.

Source: WAFA