The minister for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian Authority, Adnan al-Husseini, said that Israel implemented "policy of ethnic cleansing" against the Arabs in the city.
In a press release issued today he said that " the occupation authorities" deliberately demolished Arab homes to make way for Jews to move in.
He said that the "occupation is aimed at uprooting and expulsion of the largest number of Palestinian citizens from their homes and build more illegal settlements."
How many Jerusalem homes were demolished in 2016? According to the article, 183.
Let's compare that two two recent stories..
In 2015, Israel approved 2,200 new Arab units to be built in the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood in Jerusalem, and retroactively approved the illegal building for 300 other units. Arab leaders complained about it!
In 2016, Israel approved 600 new Arab home units in Beit Safafa.
If Israel is approving far more Arab homes than it is destroying, then "ethnic cleansing" doesn't quite seem accurate.
One would think that there would be one or two English-language reporters for mainstream media, somewhere in Israel, who would do what I just did.
I haven't found them.