Palestinian Family Goes Homeless as Israeli Forces Demolish Jerusalem House

Demolition in Wadi Yasul area of Silwan, 30 April 2019. © Photo by OCHA

23 Jun 2020


Israeli authorities on Wednesday demolished a Palestinian house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, leaving a family without a roof over their head.

Israeli police escorted a bulldozer into the neighborhood, where the heavy machinery tore down a house belonging to Sharhabil Alqam, according to WAFA news agency.

The demolition is another chain in a massive demolition spree targeting Palestinian structures in the occupied city.

The structure was demolished under the pretext unlicensed construction.

The Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center posted a video showing scores of police cordoning the house off as the demolition was proceeding.

Using the pretext of illegal building, Israel demolishes houses on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the municipality and government build tens of thousands of housing units in illegal colonial settlements in East Jerusalem for Jews with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Jewish settlers in the occupied city.

Although Palestinians in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian Territory that has been subject to Israeli military occupation since 1967, they are denied their citizenship rights and are instead classified only as "residents" whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city for more than a few years.

They are also discriminated against in all aspects of life including housing, employment and services, and are unable to access services in the West Bank due to the construction of Israel's separation wall.