JERUSALEM, Tuesday, January 30, 2024 (WAFA) – A Palestinian resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukaber was forced to demolish his own home after receiving a demolition order from the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem, citing unpermitted construction as a pretext.
The house owner, Jameel Sarri, said he was forced today to self-demolish his 100-square-meter home following a raid by a municipal staff into his home. The municipality staff threatened the owner that if he did not demolish his house on his own, the municipality staff would demolish it and force him to pay exorbitant amounts of money in costs and fines.
The demolition rendered the five-member family homeless in the cold winter weather.
Under the pretext of building without a permit, which is rarely granted to Palestinians in the occupied city, the Israeli municipality has been demolishing or forcing Palestinians to demolish their own houses as part of a policy aimed at restricting Palestinian expansion and growth in occupied Jerusalem.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem find themselves compelled to tear down their homes after receiving a demolition order to avoid paying exorbitant costs to the Israeli municipality if it carries out the demolition.
Palestinians say they are forced to build without permits because the Israeli municipality discriminates against them and refuses to issue permits or places unreasonable conditions that they cannot afford to issue a permit.
At the same time, thousands of housing units are built for colonists in the city on appropriated Palestinian lands and are made easily accessible to them.
