JERUSALEM, March 31, 2025 (WAFA) - Israeli occupation authorities Monday forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his house in Silwan in the occupied West Bank city of Jerusalem, according to local sources.
They said Mohammad Abu Sway was forced to tear down his own house in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, following threats by the occupation Municipality and imposing a fine of ILS 75,000 (approx. $20,400) on him.
Abu Sway added that he had been living along with his 12-member family in the house, which covered an area of 200 meters square while pledging that he would continue to live in a tent at the site of his demolished house.
Using the pretext of illegal building, Israeli occupation authorities demolish houses regularly to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.
At the same time, the occupation Municipality and government built tens of thousands of housing units in illegal colonies in East Jerusalem for Jews to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Jewish colonists in the occupied city.
Although Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian Territory that has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, they are denied their citizenship rights and are instead classified only as "residents" whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city for more than a few years.
They are also discriminated against in all aspects of life including housing, employment and services, and are unable to access services in the occupied West Bank due to the construction of Israel's separation and apartheid wall.
According to a report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the Israeli High Court could be liable for war crimes for their policies that led to the dispossession of Palestinians from their properties in Area C of the West Bank.
The report, Fake Justice, shows that the court’s support of Israeli planning policy is tantamount to support for dispossession and forcible transfer of Palestinians, a war crime under international law.
K.F.
