The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) forced a Jerusalemite citizen to demolish his own house in al-Ashqariya neighborhood in Beit Hanina town on Tuesday.
A family of five was rendered homeless as a result of the Israeli measure.
Samir al-Saou said that employees from the Israeli municipality ordered him and his son Mohamed about two days ago to demolish their houses at their own expense if they wanted to avoid paying demolition expenses 75000 shekels and fines to the municipality.
Saou explained that an Israeli demolition crew came on Tuesday morning to demolish the two houses and saw that he had already finished demolishing his son’s house so he was given one month to knock down his own house.
About two years ago the municipality imposed a fine of 100000 shekels on Saou and his son at the pretext of building their homes with no permits. They still pay the fine by installments.
The IOA also ordered Ahmed al-Saou Samir’s cousin to demolish his own house next Saturday. He lives with his wife and two kids in that house.
Meanwhile the IOA demolished on the same day a Palestinian house and sheep sheds belonging to a Jerusalemite citizen in Rawabi al-Issawiya area east of the holy city.
The IOA also bulldozed about several swaths of land that contained agricultural structures belonging to Jerusalemite families in Issawiya district.
Hundreds of Jerusalemite homes are threatened with demolition or appropriation as part of Israel’s Judaization plans in the occupied holy city.
The Jerusalemites have no choice but to build without licenses because there are no structural maps that respond to the natural increase in their numbers.
The IOA also imposes building restrictions on the Palestinian natives in east Jerusalem and makes it hard for them to obtain construction licenses.
Israel’s systematic demolition of Palestinian homes in the holy city is believed to be aimed at psychologically destroying the Jerusalemite families in an attempt to force them to move from the city.
