The Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem demolished on Wednesday a 16-apartment Palestinian residential building in Anata neighborhood, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem.

The demolition was carried out under the pretext of unlicensed construction, according to local sources.

Palestinian news agency WAFA said a large police force surrounded the area where the 6-story building was located before a bulldozer started to knock it down.

The building has three apartments on every floor, each 150 square meters in area.

Over recent months, the Israeli occupation authorities issued dozens of demolition orders against Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem under the pretext of construction without a permit.