Jerusalem, MINA – The Israeli occupation forced two Jerusalemite brothers to demolish their own homes in the Silwan district, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Tuesday under the pretext of unlicensed construction, the Palestine Information Center reports.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, Nader and Hatem Baydoun were compelled to demolish their homes in the al-Bustan neighborhood of the district. Ten family members, including women and children, lived in the two homes, which had been built in 1998 over an area of approximately 88 square meters.
Jerusalemite homeowners often find themselves forced to demolish their own properties at their own expense in order to avoid paying the Israeli municipality exorbitant fines and demolition costs. Human rights groups and monitoring organizations say the rate at which Palestinian homes and structures are demolished in East Jerusalem has nearly doubled since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.
The demolitions are ordered by the Israeli municipality, which claims that many Palestinian homes and structures are built illegally without permits. However, all attempts by Palestinian families in East Jerusalem to apply for planning permission are routinely rejected by the municipality. This leaves growing families with no choice but to build without permits and face the consequences: massive fines and demolition orders.
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Last March, the municipality carried out demolition measures against 234 Palestinian homes and structures in the West Bank and Jerusalem, with 23 houses completely destroyed.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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