Israeli occupation authorities forced a Palestinian resident of Silwan, south of the Al‑Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, to demolish his own residential room on Tuesday, continuing a long‑standing policy that compels Palestinians to carry out self‑demolitions under threat of heavy fines and forced demolition costs.
The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that the authorities compelled Jerusalemite Jalal at‑Tawil to demolish a 70‑square‑meter residential room he owns in the al‑Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, under the pretext of building without a permit.
At‑Tawil explained that the room has existed since 1975, but the Israeli municipality ordered him to remove it to avoid exorbitant financial penalties and the costs of a forced demolition by Israeli bulldozers.
Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem face systematic restrictions on building permits, which are rarely granted, while Israeli authorities continue to expand colonial settlements in and around the city.
Residents say the policy of self‑demolition is designed to pressure Palestinian families economically and psychologically, forcing them to destroy their own homes to avoid additional punishment.
In a separate incident, Israeli forces seized an excavator belonging to the Joint Services Council northwest of Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the machine was confiscated while operating near the waste disposal site west of the town of Beit Anan, with the army claiming it was working in an area classified as “Area C” under full Israeli control.
Local officials say the seizure of equipment is part of a broader pattern in which Israeli forces restrict Palestinian municipal and service work in Area C, hindering infrastructure development and essential public services for surrounding communities.
While Israel continues to build and expand its illegal colonies, Palestinian communities and towns in occupied Jerusalem and various areas in the occupied West Bank continue to be denied the right to build homes and property under various allegations meant to prevent the expansion of Palestinian towns and neighborhoods.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment and acts of terror against civilian populations.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
Articles 53 and 147, prohibit the destruction of civilian property and classify pillage as a war crime.
