JERUSALEM, September 5, 2025 (WAFA) – A Palestinian from Shu'fat refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem, was forced today to demolish his own home after receiving a demolition order from the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem, citing unpermitted construction as a pretext.

According to the Jerusalem Governorate, resident Abdallah Hawwas was forced today to self-demolish two apartments that made up an entire floor of a residential building.

The house was home to seven people.

Hawwas was forced to rent machinery to carry out the demolition himself, fearing that Israeli bulldozers would cause damage to the remaining floors. As a result, he incurred an estimated cost of 30,000 shekels.
Israeli authorities had given Hawwas a deadline until next Sunday to carry out the demolition himself, or face the forcible demolition by the municipality along with hefty fines.

Under the pretext of building without a permit, which is rarely granted to Palestinians in the occupied city, the Israeli municipality has been demolishing or forcing Palestinians to demolish their own houses as part of a policy aimed at restricting Palestinian expansion and growth in occupied Jerusalem.

Palestinians in East Jerusalem find themselves compelled to tear down their homes after receiving a demolition order to avoid paying exorbitant costs to the Israeli municipality if it carries out the demolition.

Palestinians say they are forced to build without permits because the Israeli municipality discriminates against them and refuses to issue permits or places unreasonable conditions that they cannot afford to issue a permit.

At the same time, thousands of housing units are built for Jewish settlers in the city on appropriated Palestinian lands and are made easily accessible to them.

T.R.