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Scene. Published by IMEMC News
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by IMEMC News
Oct 9, 2022

On Saturday evening, the City Council in occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank, forced a Palestinian family to demolish its home.

Media sources said the family’s home is in the Wadi al-Jouz area in Jerusalem, adding that the family has been trying to appeal the demolition order and has already paid heavy fines and fees.

The City Council in occupied Jerusalem refused to grant the family of Haj Yahia a permit for their home and threatened to impose much harsher fines in addition to legal prosecution, including imprisonment.

The family had to demolish its own home to avoid being forced to pay additional fines and fees and the hefty demolition costs if the city used its workers and equipment.

Many Palestinians in the occupied city resort to constructing their homes without permits due to Israel’s continued refusal to grant them these permits, an issue that forces expanding families to live in small homes or apartments or build homes on their lands without permits.

This happens while Israel continues to build and expand its illegal, segregated colonies in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, in direct violation of International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and various United Nations and Security Council resolutions.

Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory.”

On its webpage, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) stated that in 2021, ICAHD analysis revealed that 937 structures were demolished and 1,119 people displaced in the OPT, with a further 12,658 people directly affected. In addition, 3004 structures were demolished in the Negev/Naqab – 431 homes and 2553 agriculture and livelihood structures.