On Thursday, Israeli occupation authorities forced a Palestinian resident of Al-Isawiya, northeast of the occupied capital Jerusalem, in the West Bank, to demolish his own home, citing a lack of construction permits.
Mahmoud Elian, the homeowner, said he had no choice but to destroy the house where he had lived with his family for nine years.
Elian told the Wadi Hilweh Information Center In Silwan (Silwanic) that he built his home on his land nine years ago, and had to demolish it to avoid the hefty fines, fees and other issues that he could face if he didn’t.
Elian added that he lived in his home along with his wife and their two daughters, and stated that Israeli soldiers and police officers have frequently invaded the property, threatening penalties and very high fines.
He hired a lawyer after he received the initial demolition order but Israel courts denied his appeals and ordered the demolition of his home. It is worth mentioning that he was ordered to demolish his home by Sunday.
The residence spanned 110 square meters and was torn down by Elian himself to avoid the steep fines, in addition to exaggerated demolition costs the Israeli occupation municipality imposes if its crews carry out the demolition.
Israeli authorities frequently force Palestinians, particularly in occupied Jerusalem, to self-demolish their homes under the pretext of unauthorized construction.
Those who refuse face forced demolitions by Israeli bulldozers, along with heavy financial penalties, and many were also abducted and imprisoned.
The Jerusalem municipality routinely denies Palestinians building permits, either tearing down their homes or coercing them into dismantling their properties.
This policy violates international law and fundamental human rights, which guarantee the right to housing. It is part of Israel’s broader strategy to forcibly displace Palestinians from Jerusalem while expanding illegal settlements in and around the city.
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.
Also Thursday, illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers vandalized solar panels and water pumps belonging to a Palestinian farmer in Khirbet Al-Deir, located in the Northern Plains of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. Colonizers also stormed the wilderness of Tuqu’, near Bethlehem, continuing their land seizures and provocations.
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 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.”
