JERUSALEM, February 14, 2026 (WAFA) – A Palestinian resident of Jerusalem was forced to demolish his own home in the Jabal al-Mukaber neighborhood, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, on Friday, following an order from the Israeli municipality on the pretext of building without a permit.
The Jerusalem Governorate said that he 80-square-meter home belonged to Samir Aliyan Arar and housed seven people, had been standing since 2018. Israeli municipal authorities had previously issued building violation fines against him totaling approximately 100,000 shekels.
According to Arar, he had submitted building permit plans in 2014 at the request of the Israeli municipality and hired lawyers and engineers to follow up in the case. However, municipal crews issued him two fines that same year, amounting to approximately 80,000 shekels and 17,500 shekels respectively.
He emphasized that he was still paying off those fines and will continue doing so until the end of 2027.
He added that municipal crews raided his home on January 26, 2026, and gave him 21 days to comply with the demolition order. He said he was forced to self-demolish his house to avoid veering the higher demolition costs if the Israeli municipality carried it out.
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