OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Jerusalem resident Mohammad Mahmoud Al Abbasi began emptying his house in the town of Silwan, south of Al Aqsa Mosque, on Thursday in preparation for demolishing it himself. This was in compliance with a decision issued by the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) to avoid heavy fines and additional costs.
Al Abbasi’s home is located in the Abu Tayeh neighborhood of Silwan, with an area of 65 square meters. It has stood since 2011 and is inhabited by him, his wife, and their two children, while the family awaits the birth of their third child soon.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the IOA municipality imposed financial penalties of 66,000 shekels on Al Abbasi, giving him a deadline until next Saturday to carry out the self demolition. He was threatened that if he did not comply, the municipality would demolish the house by force and charge him additional costs.
Al Abbasi faces difficult health conditions: he suffers from diabetes, undergoes dialysis sessions, and had his leg amputated several months ago.
The IOA municipality continues to impose steep fines on Jerusalemites under the pretext of “building without a permit,” while residents stress that the licensing procedures are complex, lengthy, and prohibitively expensive, making it nearly impossible to obtain permits.
In this context, the Jerusalem Governorate documented 33 demolition and bulldozing operations last April, including 17 forced self demolitions where citizens were compelled to tear down their own homes, alongside 13 demolitions carried out directly by IOA machinery and municipal crews.
