Mayor of Jerusalem plans to demolish Palestinian homes for park

Scores of Palestinian homes in one of Jerusalem's most volatile neighborhoods will need to be demolished to make way for a parks project under plans unveiled yesterday by the city's Israeli mayor. More than 88 homes in the Arab-dominated Silwan valley area of the city are scheduled to be removed to make way for a tourist center. The plan has been criticized by Palestinians and the United Nations. Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, has now opened the plan up to "debate" with the area's Palestinian residents after an intervention by the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Silwan is designated a "flashpoint" area by Israeli authorities–and with tensions already running high in East Jerusalem following rioting in several neighborhoods last weekend, there are concerns that the plan could lead to further violence.