Israel demolishes Jerusalem family home

Ramallah: Under heavy rain, Israeli bulldozers demolished on Tuesday a three storey building under construction in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext that the building was built without an official building permit.

Israeli military bulldozers, escorted by a significant number of Israeli forces, raided the Al Suwaih area of the Silwan neighbourhood, south of Al Aqsa Compound. The soldiers sealed the area, declared it a military zone and demolished the building which was in the final stage of construction and almost ready for occupation.

According to Fakhri Abu Diab, a Palestinian political activist and member of the Silwan Defence Committee, the building is owned by the Moteb family of occupied East Jerusalem and that family has been trying for the past eight years to obtain official building licenses from the Israeli occupation’s municipality in Jerusalem. However, all of the family’s attempts failed. Palestinians living in the West Bank, and particularly those in Jerusalem, face severe difficulties in getting building permits by the occupation authorities. Palestinian homes in both areas regularly face demolishment before space is made for the construction of Jews-only residences.

Abu Diab told Gulf News that six families were planning to move to the building under construction. The families had invested hundreds of thousands of US dollars to get the building almost completed.

Abu Diab said that the six Moteb families currently live in leased apartments, pay a lot of money in monthly rents. The families decided to give up the leased houses and move to a building of their own. He said that the family has paid their lifetime’s savings and sold the jewellery and gold of their women to get their houses built and ready.

The family hired lawyers to address the issue of the building license with the Israeli occupation’s Jerusalem Municipality, but the municipality has never provided reasons for the failure to grant the license.

Abu Daib said the timing of demolition of the building was critical as the Israeli bulldozers razed the construction under heavy rain leaving the family in shock. The family did not receive a demolition order from the municipality nor did they know about the timing of the demolition. The family was taken by surprise as they were given no chance to clear their belongings out of the targeted building.

Abu Diab warned against an unprecedented rate of property demolitions in the occupied East Jerusalem in an Israeli devised plan to uproot Palestinian and Arab existence in the holy city.