OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) forced on Saturday a Jerusalemite family to demolish its own house in Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, the house belonged to Mohamed Quwaider and sheltered his family of six children since 2012.
Built on a 100-square-meter plot of land in Silwan’s al-Bustan neighborhood, the home had stood for more than a decade as the family’s residence.
The IOA also imposed fines on Quwaider totaling 60,000 shekels. Of this amount, approximately 25,000 shekels remain unpaid, adding further financial strain on the family.
Earlier today, three Palestinian brothers from the family of at-Tahhan were forced to demolish their own homes in the Ras al-Amud neighborhood of Silwan, under the pretext of building without a permit.
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, human rights groups and monitoring organizations say.
The demolitions are ordered by the Israeli municipality, 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 municipality. That means growing families say they have no choice but to build without permits and face the consequences, huge fines and demolition orders.
