Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch on Wednesday said that Israel will demolish Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem in the coming days despite the renewal of indirect peace talks.
Aharonovitch made his remarks at Wednesday's Knesset plenum session, during which he said that demolitions had been postponed in recent months so as not to harm efforts by U.S. special envoy George Mitchell to get peace talks off the ground.
Aharonovitch, however, clarified that currently there is no order in effect instructing police to not to raze homes.
"As of right now, there is no directive for police not to implement the demolition orders," said Aharonovitch, adding that Jerusalem Police are prepared to deploy the forces necessary for the demolitions.
The minister also said that the demolitions were postponed because some in Israel's political echelons felt the timing was wrong. "If there was a postponement, it has now ended," he said.
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