OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Caught between demolition and forced closure, the Burqan family in the Bir Ayoub neighborhood of Silwan in Occupied Jerusalem is awaiting the fate of its multi-story residential building, which houses 15 family members, including women and children.
Under threats from Israeli authorities to demolish and seal the building, the family, made up of three households, was forced to evacuate its belongings after receiving multiple notices from Israeli authorities under the pretext of “reducing inconvenience to settlers.”
Jerusalemite resident Ashraf Burqan said the Israeli municipality issued a demolition order for his apartment, along with orders to seal and close two other apartments belonging to his family and his aunt. The measures came after the municipality and Israeli settlers filed a lawsuit against the family, claiming the building obstructs the public road and causes difficulties for settlers living in the adjacent settlement area.
Burqan explained that he built his apartment in 2013 above his family home, which his father had originally constructed in the 1980s with an official building permit.
He said he lives in the apartment with his wife and son, while the extended family includes seven relatives, among them his parents and siblings, in addition to his aunt and her four children.
The case comes amid escalating Israeli demolition and forced displacement policies targeting Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem, threatening more Palestinian families with homelessness and displacement as part of broader efforts to impose a new demographic reality in the holy city.
