Occupied Jerusalem: A Palestinian family in the Al-Ein neighborhood of Silwan, Occupied Jerusalem, suffered a major setback on Wednesday after Israeli authorities forced the homeowner to demolish part of his own house.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, the affected resident was identified as Mohammad Al-Abbasi. The Jerusalem Municipality claimed that the demolished section of the house had been built without a construction permit and ordered him to carry out the demolition himself.
The report states that if Al-Abbasi had refused to do so, the municipality would have carried out the demolition and charged him substantial demolition costs. To avoid these additional financial penalties, he was compelled to demolish part of his own home.
The demolished section measured approximately 25 square meters and served as the living space for three of Al-Abbasi’s children. The demolition came after 14 years of legal proceedings, which concluded with the issuance of a final demolition order.
According to the report, under Israel’s self-demolition policy, Palestinian homeowners are required to demolish their own properties in order to avoid the high demolition fees imposed by the Jerusalem Municipality, as well as additional fines and the potential damage to neighboring homes that may occur during municipal demolition operations.