RAMALLAH, Tuesday, August 25, 2020 (WAFA) – Two Palestinian-owned houses were demolished this morning and last night in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of construction without a permit, according to various sources.

In Silwan neighborhood, south of Jerusalem, staff from the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem demolished a house owned by Khaled al-Khales, said witnesses.

Israeli occupation forces cordoned off the area before the staff began to knock down the one-story house using manual tools because of its location inside a narrow closed-in area.

In Sur Baher, another East Jerusalem neighborhood, Mohammad Amira was forced last night to knock down his own house to avoid having to pay a heavy fine and costs if the West Jerusalem municipality would tear it down.

According to Khaled Abu Tayeh, a local activist, Amira, who first built his house in 1992, buried it under mounds of earth after the Israeli occupation municipality started to demolish Palestinian houses in that area to avoid its demolition.

Nevertheless, the municipality gave him 10 days to destroy it or it would do it itself and force him to pay all costs, forcing Amira to bring a bulldozer and tear it down with his own hands.

According to Palestinian officials, 18,000 Palestinian-owned houses in occupied East Jerusalem are under threat of demolition by the municipality for construction without a permit, while 650 demolition orders were issued this year alone.

M.K.