OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) forced a Palestinian citizen to demolish his own house in the east Jerusalem district of Silwan, south of the Aqsa Mosque, on Sunday morning.
According to local sources, Israeli police officers stormed ath-Thori neighborhood in Silwan and forced Ali Abu Ramila to start demolishing his home, displacing his four-member family.
The sources noted that it was the second time Abu Ramila was forced to demolish his home under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Jerusalemite homeowners find themselves forced to demolish their homes at their own expense in order to avoid paying the Israeli municipality exorbitant money in fines and demolition expenses.
The rate at which Palestinian homes and structures are demolished in east Jerusalem has almost doubled since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, human rights groups and monitoring organizations say.
The demolitions are ordered by the Israeli municipal authority, which claims that many Palestinian homes and structures are illegally built without permission.
All attempts by Palestinian families in east Jerusalem to apply for planning permission are rejected by the IOA. That means growing families say they have no choice but to build without permits and face the consequences, huge fines and demolition orders.
Last March, the Israeli municipality carried out demolition measures against 234 Palestinian homes and structures in the West Bank and Jerusalem, with 23 houses completely destroyed.
