By means of harsh Israeli orders, in the internationally-recognized occupied East Jerusalem, a Palestinian family was forced to demolish its own apartment buildings, according to local sources.
Palestinian sources in the village of Sur Baher in East Jerusalem, said that the Rabay’a family was forced to knock down its own apartment buildings.
Relatives, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the family were forced to demolish their own two apartments, in order to avoid paying high fees to the Israeli municipality, if the occupation authorities had executed the demolition.
According to the Rabay’a family, the demolition order they recently received, came three months after they had completed construction of the apartments, in which members of the family were supposed to be accommodated.
The family added that the Israeli authorities alleged that the apartments have been built without an Israeli issued license by the municipal authorities in the occupied Palestinian-Arab city.
Noteworthy, since Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, authorities in the internationally-recognized occupied East Jerusalem, have been imposing severe regulations on Palestinian residents, allowing urban development only under certain conditions and criterion.
The Rabay’a family told the Palestinian Information Center that the occupation authorities threatened an 80,000 New Israeli Shekels (NIS) or $23,000 USD fine if the Israeli military carried out the demolition.
According to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, International Humanitarian Law establishes that the people who live in the occupied territory [Palestine] prior to the occupation are considered “protected persons” and may not be subjected to collective punishment or violence, their private property may not be confiscated, their dignity may not be violated and they may not be expelled from their homes.
Image: PNN
