On Monday, a Palestinian family from the Kroum Qamar neighborhood of Silwan town south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, was forced to self‑demolish its home for the second time in six years, after the Israeli occupation municipality issued a demolition order under the pretext of “building without a permit.”
Ali Abu Rmeila, the father of the homeowner, said he was compelled to tear down the small house his son lived in to avoid the heavy fines imposed by the occupation if municipal crews carried out the demolition.
Abu Rmeila explained that the family had already lost a home six years ago when Israeli authorities demolished the original structure where his son lived.
After that demolition, he built a modest 60‑square‑meter home for his son, his pregnant wife, and their two children. The family is now expecting a third child, with the wife due to give birth at any moment.
“Six years ago, they demolished the house my son lived in, and I was fined 65,000 shekels,” Abu Rmeila said, “a few days ago, they issued another demolition order on the small home I built for him, and I had no choice but to demolish it with my own hands so I wouldn’t face more fines.”
He added that the demolition leaves his son’s family without shelter at a time when finding rental housing in Jerusalem has become nearly impossible due to soaring prices and discriminatory restrictions imposed on Palestinian residents.
Silwan, located just south of the Old City, is one of the most heavily targeted Palestinian areas in occupied Jerusalem.
Dozens of homes in neighborhoods such as Kroum Qamar, Al‑Bustan, and Wadi Hilweh face demolition orders as part of long‑standing Israeli plans to expand colonialist outposts and convert parts of the town into a “Biblical Park.”
Human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that Israel’s refusal to grant building permits to Palestinians—while simultaneously expanding colonies and colonialist infrastructure—constitutes a policy of forced displacement aimed at altering the demographic and cultural character of the city.
The Abu Rmeila family is now among hundreds of Palestinian families in Jerusalem who have been forced to demolish their own homes to avoid crippling financial penalties, a practice widely condemned by rights groups as a form of coercion and collective punishment.
