At least 18,000 Palestinian-owned houses in the occupied city of Jerusalem are under the threat of demolition by the Israeli occupation authorities, said Abdullah Siam, the Palestinian Authority's Deputy Jerusalem Governor on Monday.

Abdullah Siam told the official Voice of Palestine radio that the Israeli courts are currently considering demolition cases against these homes at a time there is a need for 15,000 housing units in the occupied city, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Siam noted that this comes as another example of Israel’s collective punishment and ethnic cleansing policy against Palestinians in Jerusalem in its plan to increase the number of Jewish settlers in the city through the demolition policy.

Since the start of this year, the Israeli occupation authorities issued about 650 demolition orders against houses and structures owned by Palestinians in Jerusalem.