Israeli occupation authorities forced a Palestinian resident of Silwan, in occupied Jerusalem, to demolish his own home on Friday, continuing a long‑standing policy aimed at displacing Palestinian families from the city.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the authorities compelled Jerusalemite resident Jalal at-Tawil to carry out the demolition of his house in the al‑Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, under the pretext of building without a permit.
At‑Tawil was forced to complete the demolition himself to avoid the heavy fines and demolition fees imposed by the Israeli-run municipality if its bulldozers carry out the operation.
The policy is widely used across occupied Jerusalem to pressure Palestinians economically and psychologically, effectively making them pay for the destruction of their own homes.
Silwan, located just south of the Old City, has been one of the most targeted areas in Jerusalem, where hundreds of Palestinian homes face demolition orders as part of Israeli plans to expand colonies and tourist‑colonialist projects in and around the city.
The al‑Bustan area alone has more than 100 Palestinian homes threatened with demolition.
Human rights organizations and local monitoring groups note that the Israeli municipality systematically denies Palestinians building permits, despite severe overcrowding and the lack of available land due to expanding colonies.
Palestinians are left with no legal avenues to build, while Israeli authorities continue to approve large-scale construction for colonies and settler-run projects.
The forced self‑demolition policy violates international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the destruction of property in occupied territory except for absolute military necessity.
It also contravenes basic human rights norms guaranteeing the right to adequate housing and protection from forced displacement.
Dozens of Palestinian families in Jerusalem have been forced to demolish their own homes in recent months, particularly in Silwan, Jabal al‑Mukabber, Isawiya, and the Old City area.
Local residents and rights groups warn that these measures form part of a broader strategy to alter the demographic composition of Jerusalem by pushing Palestinians out while expanding Israeli colonies in the city and its surroundings.
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.
