OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) forced two Palestinian citizens to demolish their own homes in Beit Hanina town, north of Jerusalem, on Thursday morning, claiming they were built with no permits.
According to the Jerusalem governor’s office, Israeli police forces escorting municipal workers forced Rami Alloun and his son, Mohamed, to evacuate their homes and demolish it at their own expense.
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 municipal authority which claims that many Palestinian homes and structures are illegally built without permission.
Almost all attempts by Palestinian families in east Jerusalem to apply for planning permission are rejected by the IOA. That means growing families say they have no choice but to build without permits and face the consequences – huge fines and demolition orders.
In another incident, the Israeli higher court issued a verdict ordering the families of Shuweiki and Odeh to evacuate their homes in Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in the east Jerusalem district of Silwan.
According to the court orders, these Jerusalemite families have to evacuate their homes within 30 days before allowing Jewish settlers to move in.
Recently, the Israeli rights group Ir Amim has reported that Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in east Jerusalem surged in May, with a total of 33 buildings demolished.
