JERUSALEM, January 17, 2017 (WAFA) – Fearing that he would otherwise has to pay exorbitant amount of money, Firas Mahmoud proceeded on Tuesday to tear down his own house in the Arab East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya after the Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem said it was going to demolish his house for building without a permit, according to local sources.

The municipality informed Mahmoud that it was going to raze his house and make him pay the astronomical costs unless he demolishes it himself.

Palestinians, according to international and Israeli organizations, are forced to build on their property in East Jerusalem without permit because the Israeli municipality does not provide them with building permits in an effort to keep the Palestinian population in the occupied city to a minimum while increasing its Jewish population through building thousands of Israeli-only housing units in dozens of illegal settlements in and around the holy city.

K.T./M.K.