The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) in east Jerusalem forced two Palestinian brothers to demolish their own homes in Silwan district south of the Aqsa Mosque.
The two brothers Mohamed and Mustafa al-Salayma had to knock down their own apartments to avoid paying demolition expenses and fines to the IOA after they received an ultimatum in this regard.
The IOA justified the demolition measure against the two-story apartment building which was built by Salayma about two months ago by claiming that it was unlicensed.
Recently the Israeli municipality has escalated its demolition campaign against Palestinian homes and structures in east Jerusalem.
According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center 51 homes and structures were demolished in east Jerusalem during last August and 27 of those demolitions were carried out by the owners after the IOA forced them to do so.
