Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem (al-Quds) hold a peaceful sit-in in the Al-Bastan neighborhood in Silwan to protest ethnic cleansing by the Israelis.

The group, which included senior clerics with the Islamic Waqf in al-Quds, said that according to documents made public by the Jerusalem (al-Quds) municipality, Israel plans to destroy 88 Palestinian homes and apartment buildings in the neighborhood.

They said that the move by the Israeli authorities would once again displace some 1,500 Palestinians.

The plan to demolish the Palestinian homes is aimed at making way for a Disney-like Biblical theme park in a bid to attract tourists, they said.

During the Sunday sit-in, the head of the Islamic movement in Israel, Raed Salah, condemned the plan, saying that it would result in the destruction of 75 percent of the homes in the neighborhood.

Salah added that the residents of al-Bastan are facing 'ethnic cleansing', and the Israeli occupying regime is trying to seize every opportunity to implement its plans inside Jerusalem (al-Quds).

The Palestinian residents of the al-Bastan neighborhood, along with international supporters, have set up a tent on the site of an already-demolished home to launch a non-violent campaign.

Thousands of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem (al-Quds) have already been rendered homeless by Israeli home demolitions, and thousands more are at imminent risk.

Israeli authorities continue their blatant disregard for signed agreements and international law by insisting on razing whole neighborhoods in Jerusalem (al-Quds), as part of a plan to take over the city and claim it as the capital of Israel.

FTP/SME/MMN