JERUSALEM, May 1, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities today forced a Palestinian citizen to demolish his own home in the neighborhood of Al-Isawiya, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem.
Mahmoud Alian, the homeowner, said he was compelled to tear down the 110-square-meter residence he had lived in with his wife and daughters for the past eight years. Alian demolished the house with his own hands to avoid the heavy financial penalties the Israeli municipality would have imposed had it carried out the demolition using its own equipment.
Israeli occupation authorities systematically force Palestinians, particularly in occupied Jerusalem, to carry out "self-demolitions" under the pretext of lacking construction permits. Those who refuse face steep fines and the loss of their property at the hands of Israeli authorities.
Rights groups and international observers have long condemned these policies as forms of forced displacement and collective punishment, in violation of international law and basic human rights, including the right to adequate housing.
M.N
