RAMALLAH, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Authority's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday said that Israel is "widely attacking Palestinian property in East Jerusalem."
The ministry said in a statement that the "Israeli attack" include "wide demolition of homes and commercial shops in different East Jerusalem towns."
Palestinian sources said that Israeli municipality staff and police escorted a bulldozer to the entrance of Sur Baher town, a Palestinian neighborhood in southeastern Jerusalem, where the heavy machinery demolished a car wash owned by a Palestinian man.
At least 10 other buildings in Sur Baher town, home to around 70 families, are under risk of demolition.
Representatives of the EU in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Tuesday expressed concerns over Israeli demolition orders against Palestinian homes in Sur Baher.
"The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah express concerns about the stated intention of the Israeli authorities to proceed with the demolition of the Palestinian buildings," the statement said.
However, it added that "the condemnation statements by the the international community and the EU ... are not enough and does not pose a real pressure on Israel to stop its crime."
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israel has approved only 1.5 percent of the construction building permits requested by Palestinians.
Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state.
Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, but the move has never been recognized by the international community.
