The Israeli occupation authorities today demolished a Palestinian building in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, according to witnesses.

They said that Israeli police stormed Bir Ayoub area in the neighborhood and cordoned a building off, preventing anyone from approaching it.

The owners of the two-story building were identified as Remah Odeh, and his brother, Ali, whose families comprise 12 members.

Police officers ordered the two families to empty all of the contents of the houses before a bulldozer tore down them, reducing them to rubble.

Dozens of homes are under threat of demolition in Silwan under the pretext of construction without a permit, but its Palestinian residents believe Israel wants to remove them from Silwan in order to turn it into a biblical park as part of the so-called City of David.

Using the pretext of illegal construction, Israel demolishes houses on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the municipality and government build tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in East Jerusalem for Jews with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Jewish settlers in the occupied city.