On Thursday evening, the Israeli occupation authorities forced the Ja’abis family to demolish their building in the town of Jabal al-Mukaber, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

Media sources reported that the “City Council” forced the family to demolish their own home, which includes three residential apartments and commercial shops in Jabal al-Mukaber.

Each apartment is 150 square meters, and the commercial shops cover an area of 200 square meters.

Mohammad Ja’abis stated that the illegal occupation authorities notified the family of the demolition orders and threatened to impose 100,000 shekels fine if the demolition was carried out by their workers and equipment.

He noted that the building housed 30 members of his family, who had no other choice but to self-demolish their property to avoid the excessively high fines and fees, in addition to the exaggerated demolition costs if the city carried out the demolition.

It is worth mentioning that the Israeli authorities demolished the family’s home the first time about ten years ago.

The Israeli occupation authorities frequently force Palestinian citizens in occupied Jerusalem to demolish their homes under the pretext of lack of permits. Those who refuse face demolition by the occupation’s bulldozers and are imposed with high costs.

The occupation municipality in Jerusalem refrains from granting building permits to Palestinian citizens.

This practice violates international laws and human rights, which guarantee the right to housing. It is part of the occupation’s systematic efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians from Jerusalem while expanding the illegal colonies in and around the city.

The Jerusalem Governorate documented 380 demolition and bulldozing operations of homes and establishments in the governorate during 2024, including 92 forced self-demolitions and 259 demolitions carried out by the occupation’s machinery. Additionally, there were 29 bulldozing attacks. Since October 7, 2023, the number of demolition and bulldozing offensives in the governorate has reached approximately 470.

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.”