Israeli bulldozers demolished a number of Palestinian-owned structures in Anata town, northeast of the occupied city of Jerusalem, according to an official.

Mayor of Anata, Taha al-Rifa‘e, was quoted by Wafa news agency as stating that Israeli forces and staff of the so-called Jerusalem Municipality escorted bulldozers into the eastern section of the town, close to the industrial zone, where the heavy machineries tore down four structures and walls, besides to several houses al-Najma neighborhood of the town.

Israel demolishes Palestinian houses and structures almost on a daily basis as a means to achieve “demographic control” of the occupied territories.

Israel denies planning permits for Palestinians to build on their own land or to extend existing houses to accommodate natural growth, particularly in Jerusalem and Area C, which constitutes 60 percent of the occupied West Bank and falls under full Israeli military rule, forcing residents to build without obtaining rarely-granted permits to provide shelters for their families.

Rights groups have long pointed out that Israel’s discriminatory policies in East Jerusalem – which include routine home demolitions, discriminatory allocation of building permits, and the eviction of Palestinians from their homes for the benefit of Israeli settlers – are aimed at driving out Palestinians from the city.