Israel orders the destruction of a dozen Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem (al-Quds) as part of Tel Aviv's efforts to increase the number of Jewish settlements there.

The demolition orders are issued under the pretext that the buildings lack permits, says Israeli municipality in Jerusalem.

The residents, however, argue that Israeli officials have been withholding their documents or were refusing to issue documents for their houses.

Over the past week the Israeli municipality forced four families to demolish parts of their homes, claiming that they lacked the required permission.

While the municipality says it is simply enforcing the law, several rights groups have repeatedly said that the demolition order, which forces hundreds of Palestinians to leave their homes in East Jerusalem, is politically-motivated and aims at increasing the number of Jewish settlements there.

Hatem Abdel Qader, an official responsible for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian government, says Israel has ordered the demolition of more than 1,000 Palestinian homes since the start of this year, which means that the pace of destroying Palestinian homes in Jerusalem is increasing in recent months despite world wide condemnations.

Instead, Tel Aviv is continuing the expansion of the Jewish settlements in the occupied territory, which is considered as the main obstacle to end the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians want East Jerusalem (al-Quds) to be the capital of their future state.