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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - A Palestinian NGO has decried recent Israeli demolitions of homes owned by Palestinians in Al-Quds occupied East Jerusalem, saying they come as part of an Israeli scheme to expel Palestinians from their land in the holy city.

"Israel is guilty of religious and racial discrimination against people from other ethnic and religious backgrounds," the Islamic-Christian Committee for Supporting Al-Quds and Sanctities said in a statement.

The group's secretary general, Hanna Eissa, accused Israeli authorities of demolishing Palestinian homes "in big numbers under illegal, false pretexts" to uproot Palestinians from the occupied holy city.

On Wednesday, Israeli bulldozers demolished a two-story building owned by a Palestinian man in the Al-Tour neighborhood east of the Old City of Al-Quds.

The bulldozers demolished the building – which houses a mosque, a health center and two apartments sheltering 11 people – without any prior warning, owner Abu Ghaliyeh told Anadolu Agency.

The Palestinian NGO urged the international community to shoulder its responsibility in preventing "daily Israeli violations" against Palestinians in the holy city.

Israeli municipal authority imposes tight restrictions on the building and renovation of Palestinian homes in Al-Quds.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli authorities demolished more than 500 Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Al-Quds last year alone.

Al-Quds is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site. It also contains major Christian holy sites.

Jews refer to the area of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

Palestinians accuse Israel of waging an aggressive campaign to "Judaize" the holy city with the aim of effacing its Arab and Islamic identity.

*World Bulletin