Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality on Monday forced a Palestinian citizen to demolish his own home in Jabal al-Mukabber village for allegedly being unlicensed.

Ali Ja’abis the owner of the demolished home said that his one-room house was built six months ago.

Ja’abis said that Israeli municipality crews stormed his home two days ago and gave him a three-day time limit to demolish the house and the surrounding wall and raze the land where the house stands. Otherwise the municipality would carry out the demolition force him to pay a steep fine.

He noted that the Israeli authorities have repeatedly rejected requests by the Palestinian residents of Jabal al-Mukabber to get licenses for their construction activities.

Ja’abis was forced to dismantle his house on Monday. He and his six-member family have been left homeless.

According to human rights groups since the beginning of 2019 the Israeli occupation authorities have demolished over 160 Palestinian buildings in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian citizen Murad Hsheima on Saturday morning started to demolish his own house in Silwan town in Occupied Jerusalem at the order of the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality.

An Israeli court had issued an order giving Hsheima a time limit until 10 December to demolish his 130-square-meter house for allegedly being unlicensed. Otherwise the municipality would carry out the demolition and force him to pay 60000 NIS and serve two months in jail.

Palestinians living in Occupied Jerusalem are often forced to demolish their own homes. Those who do not abide by the orders are usually subjected to steep fines. The Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality in most cases refuses to give the Jerusalemites the permits they need for their construction activities.