On Monday, a Palestinian from the Al-Isawiya town, east of the occupied capital, Jerusalem, in the West Bank, was forced to demolish his under-construction home.
Media sources said the Israeli City Council in occupied Jerusalem forced Tha’er Obeid to demolish his 100 square meter home under the pretext of being built without a permit.
Obeid told WAFA News that he had to demolish his home to avoid the excessively high fines and fees imposed by the city council if it carried the demolition out using its workers and equipment.
He added that if he filed more appeals and the city went ahead and demolished his home, he could face fines and fees that might reach 300.000 Shekels.
Obeid received the demolition order three months ago before he contacted lawyers and started a legal battle in Israeli courts trying to save his home but to no avail.
“My wife, myself, and our three children lived in a home we built on our land in Jericho city, but the army demolished it,” he added, “and now, yet again, Israel doesn’t want us to have a roof on our heads….”
Many Palestinians in the occupied city resort to constructing their homes without permits due to Israel’s continued refusal to grant them these permits, an issue that forces expanding families to live in small homes or apartments or build homes on their lands without permits.
This happens while Israel continues to build and expand its illegal, segregated colonies in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, in direct violation of International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and various United Nations and Security Council resolutions.
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, and 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.”
On its webpage, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) stated that in 2021, ICAHD analysis revealed that 937 structures were demolished and 1,119 people displaced in the OPT, with a further 12,658 people directly affected. In addition, 3004 structures were demolished in the Negev/Naqab – 431 homes and 2553 agriculture and livelihood structures.
