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Israel forces 2 Palestine families to demolish their homes in Jerusalem

February 1, 2022 at 10:48 am

Palestinian Shukeyrat family demolish their own house after Israeli authorities verdicted two houses belonging to Palestinian families to be demolished with claims of license issues, in Jabel Mukaber district of Jerusalem on 31 January 2022. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Israeli occupation authorities have forced two Palestinian brothers to demolish their own homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Jabal Al-Mukaber, rendering 13 people including nine small children homeless in the middle of winter, Anadolu reported.

The agency quoted the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre as saying that Daoud and Mahmoud Shuqeirat had to demolish their houses, which they had built in 2012 under the pretext that they were built without planning licences.

The Shuqeirat brothers paid fines of 100,000 shekel (some $31,000) over the years, but were eventually forced to carry out the demolition, resulting in the displacement of their families.

Israeli forces routinely carry out demolitions of Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem.

At least one-third of all Palestinian homes in Jerusalem lack building permits, placing some 100,000 Palestinians at risk of forced displacement. In 2014 Israel issued only one such permit to Palestinians and none the following year.

According to the Palestinian National Information Center, Israel has forced Palestinians living in East Jerusalem to demolish more than 1,900 homes since it occupied the city in 1967.

READ: Israel carries out ‘worst’ forms of ethnic cleansing, says PA