Israeli occupation authorities on Thursday forced a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem to carry out the demolition of his own home in the town of Silwan, south of the Al‑Aqsa Mosque, as part of the ongoing Israeli policy targeting Palestinian housing in occupied Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Governorate said that the occupation compelled Ahmad Mohammad Shehada Qweider to perform a self‑demolition of his house in the al‑Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, after the Israeli municipality issued a final demolition order.
The family proceeded with the demolition to avoid the heavy fines and fees the municipality imposes when its crews carry out the demolition themselves.
The home, built in 2010, measured approximately 60 square meters, and was inhabited by the man, his wife, and their child.
The Israeli municipality had previously issued a financial penalty estimated at 100,000 shekels, part of a broader policy aimed at pressuring Palestinians in Jerusalem and pushing them to destroy their own homes under threat of escalating fines and forced displacement.
On Tuesday, two Palestinian brothers were also forced to carry out the self‑demolition of their homes in the al‑Bustan neighborhood of Silwan.
On Monday evening, Israeli occupation authorities forced a Palestinian Jerusalemite man to self‑demolish his home in the town of Silwan, south of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.
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.
