OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) displaced a Palestinian family after forcing it to demolish its own house in the east Jerusalem district of Issawiya on Friday at the pretext of unlicensed construction.
The homeowner, Mahmoud Alyan, told SAFA news agency that the Israeli high court had given him 21 days to demolish his house at his own expense, or else he would have to pay 70,000 shekels in demolition costs to the Israeli municipality.
“I had no choice but to demolish my house, as I cannot afford the demolition bill. Meanwhile, I am still burdened with a 136,000-shekel fine imposed by the Jerusalem municipality for unlicensed construction,” Alyan said.
He pointed out that he lived in that house, which he had built in 2017, with his wife and two daughters, aged seven and one, affirming that the Israeli demolition measure rendered his family homeless.
Jerusalemite homeowners find themselves forced to demolish their homes at their own expense in order to avoid paying the Israeli municipality exorbitant money in 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.
