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Israel steps up demolitions of Palestinian-owned homes in Jerusalem

"They don't want a single Palestinian in all of Jerusalem," Ratib Matar said. Uphill, in the heart of his neighborhood, Israeli flags fluttered from dozens of apartments recently built for religious Jews. Now homeless, Palestinian Matar and his family are staying with relatives. He vows to build again on land he inherited from his grandparents, though he has no faith in the Israeli legal system.

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Protests over the demolitions have roiled east Jerusalem in recent days. Two weekends ago, Samhouri said, the family's 13-year-old cousin just across the valley, wounding two people before being shot and arrested. "The pressure just grows more and more," Samhouri said. "And at last, boom."