JERUSALEM, Saturday, July 18, 2020 (WAFA) – A Palestinian family from the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukaber were forced to demolish their own home today, after they were ordered by the Israeli municipality to do so to avoid paying exorbitant costs if the municipality carried out the demolition itself.

Mohammad Abu Turki said he had to demolish his own home, after the Israeli municipality handed him an order asking them to do so, under the pretext of lacking a construction permit.

Abu Turki's son, Isam, also embarked on demolishing his own apartment, which was an addendum to his father's home, after being notified to do so by the occupation's municipality.

The father and the son said they had no option but to do so in order to avoid paying unreasonable demolition costs to the Israeli municipality if its crews carried out the demolition.

The home and the apartment demolished were the only shelter for the five-member family.

As a matter of fact, Palestinians in Jerusalem have no choice but to build without a permit because getting a building permit is impossible in an area where the right-wing Israeli city council attempts to keep the city’s Palestinian population at a bare minimum while multiplying its Jewish residents by approving the construction of thousands of new housing units in Jewish settlements.

Almost 75 percent of applications for a permit by the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem are rejected by the Israeli municipality.

M.N