Occupied Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jan. 5 (Petra) -- Israeli settlers on Monday seized the home of a Palestinian family in Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, in a stepped up judaization and settlement expansion scheme.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan said in a statement that a group of settlers, escorted by Israeli police, stormed the house in Batn Al Hawa quarter, home to a family of 13 members, and took over the property.

Silwan is a key target of settler organizations seeking to seize Palestinian properties under various contexts, including laying legal claims, forcible seizure, and other pressure means.

Also in occupied Jerusalem, extremist settlers vandalized an Islamic cemetery, destroying tombstones, the Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said.

Also today, dozens of settlers and hardliners breached the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, under heavy protection by Israeli police, and performed prayers on the plaza in the latest provocation against Muslim worshippers and guards, the Islamic Waqf (endowments) Department said.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, Israeli forces carried out raids across towns, villages and refugee camps, in which 30 Palestinians were arrested, including a journalist and a child, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said.

//Petra// NQ