Occupation authorities force Palestinian to self-demolish house south of Jerusalem

JERUSALEM: Israeli occupation authorities Tuesday forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his house in the Sur Baher town, south of the occupied West Bank city of Jerusalem, according to the house owner.

Yusef Attun said that he had no choice but to tear down his house, which covered an area of 90 square meters, after receiving a notice from the occupation municipality to avoid paying exorbitant fines if the latter carried out the demolition on its own.

He added that he had been engaged in a legal battle at Israeli occupation courts for 20 years to prevent the demolition of and have a license issued to his house, which was home to a seven-member family including five children, but to no avail.

The Jerusalem Governorate issued a report revealing that in the third quarter of 2024, the occupation authorities carried out 154 demolition and razing operations, including 118 demolitions, 12 assaults involving razing of property and 24 others involving forcing Palestinians to self-demolish their property.

Using the
pretext of illegal building, Israeli occupation authorities demolish houses regularly to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the occupation Municipality and government build tens of thousands of housing units in illegal colonies in East Jerusalem for Jews to offset the demographic balance in favour of the Jewish colonists in the occupied city.

Although Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian Territory that has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, they are denied their citizenship rights and are instead classified only as “residents” whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city for more than a few years.

They are also discriminated against in all aspects of life including housing, employment and services, and are unable to access services in the occupied West Bank due to the construction of Israel’s separation and apartheid wall.

According to a report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tsele
m, the Israeli High Court could be liable for war crimes for their policies that led to the dispossession of Palestinians from their properties in Area C of the West Bank.

The report, Fake Justice, shows that the court’s support of Israeli planning policy is tantamount to support for dispossession and forcible transfer of Palestinians, a war crime under international law.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA