OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Israeli authorities have compelled three Palestinian families in Occupied Jerusalem to demolish their homes—two in Sur Baher, south of the city, and one in Wadi al-Joz, near the Old City.
Osama Dabash, one of the affected homeowners, said on Monday evening that his family was forced to demolish its own home to avoid heavy fines, after Israeli authorities ordered its demolition within two weeks.
Dabash stated that he had lived in the home for more than 45 years, and was pressured to tear down a section of it under the pretext that it lacked a construction permit. “It’s taken a heavy psychological toll,” he said, noting that his family includes 32 people.
In a related case, the (Israeli) Jerusalem Municipality forced Firas Abu Farha, a resident of Wadi al-Joz, to self-demolish his home, where he lived with his wife and five children. The demolition left the family homeless.
This comes amid ongoing efforts by Israeli authorities to displace Palestinian families from Jerusalem as part of a broader campaign to empty the city of its indigenous population.
During the first quarter of 2025, Israeli authorities carried out 91 demolition and bulldozing operations in occupied Jerusalem, including 26 forced self-demolitions in which Palestinians were coerced to destroy their own homes to avoid exorbitant fines.
Additionally, Israeli forces conducted 53 demolitions using heavy machinery and 12 land-leveling operations targeting Palestinian-owned lands and streets—under the guise of lacking building permits. These permits are notoriously difficult, if not impossible, for Palestinians to obtain due to systemic Israeli restrictions.
The (Palestinian) Jerusalem Governorate also documented 53 other violations during the same period, including 19 demolition orders, 31 land confiscations, and 3 eviction notices.
These practices are widely condemned by human rights organizations as part of a systematic policy of forced displacement and demographic manipulation in favor of expanding Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem.
