Occupation to demolish church built on Palestinian family’s land in Bethlehem

BETHELEHEM: The Israeli occupation forces delivered on Monday a notice ordering the demolition of a church built on a land belonging to a Palestinian family in the Makhrour area of Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem. Alyssa Qaisiya, a family member, told WAFA that the occupation forces ordered the demolition of a wooden-panel church that was built on her family's land by activists of the popular resistance, the Wall and Colonization Resistance Commission and the Makhrour Land Owners Committee. The land is threatened with seizure by the Israeli occupation. She emphasized that the church's construction was intended to draw global attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people, including Israel's land theft and violations of religious freedom. It also served as a means of solidarity with Palestinians, particularly amid Israel's ongoing aggression on Gaza and its plans to displace Palestinians from their land. On July 31, Israeli colonists seized the said land, which belongs to Ramzi Qaisiya in the Makhrour ar ea, and forcibly removed the family at gunpoint, despite their possession of documents proving their ownership. Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA