TEL AVIV, February 16, 2011 (WAFA) – The law committee of the Israeli parliament, Knesset, Wednesday approved a bill to be submitted to Knesset for a first reading, which forces any owner of an illegally built building to cover the cost of the demolition.

The bill was proposed by a member of extreme right wing Israel Beiteinu allegedly to deter violators and ease the demolition process of illegally built houses.

This bill is aimed mainly at East Jerusalem Palestinian residents who are forced to build without a permit because the Israeli authorities refuse to grant them building permits. If the bill becomes a law, Palestinians who build without a permit will be forced to either demolish their homes with their own hands or pay the cost of the demolition to the Israeli municipality.

Palestinians said the new bill intends to make life difficult enough for them to leave the city.

T.R./M.A.