On Tuesday, Israeli occupation authorities forced a Palestinian man to self-demolish his home in Jabal Al-Mukaber, south of the occupied capital, Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank.
The Jerusalem Governorate stated the Israeli municipality compelled Adam Mohammad Shqeirat to tear down his own house, which spanned 100 square meters and housed eight family members.
The governorate added that the home was built in 2016 on land the Palestinian privately owns, and since then the Israeli authorities have been imposing fines and fees on him.
Israeli occupation authorities routinely force Palestinians, especially in occupied Jerusalem, to demolish their own homes under the pretext of lacking permits.
Those who refuse face destruction by Israeli bulldozers and heavy financial penalties imposed on the homeowner, while some are also imprisoned.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli forces conducted demolition and land-clearing attacks in Anata, northeast of occupied Jerusalem.
The Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission documented 73 demolition attacks carried out by Israeli authorities in April, affecting 152 structures, including 96 inhabited homes, 10 vacant residences, and 34 agricultural facilities.
The highest number of demolitions occurred in Tubas (59 structures), followed by Hebron (39 structures) and Jerusalem (17 structures).
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 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.”
