Israel forces Jerusalemite family to raze home in Beit Safafa

A view of damaged building after Israeli forces demolished a four-story building belonging to Palestinians in the al-Ram area, located in the northern part of East Jerusalem on August 19, 2024. [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

The Israeli occupation authority displaced a Palestinian family after forcing it to demolish its own house on Sunday in Beit Safafa, south-west of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

Last month, the owner, Ahmed Alyan, received a notice from the Israeli municipality in Occupied Jerusalem ordering him to demolish his house at his own expense by 15 September in order to avoid paying fines and demolition costs if municipal crews carried out the measure.

Alyan’s son, Tariq, had lived in that house along with his wife and three sons for 22 years. Alyan said that the Israeli district court in Jerusalem held a hearing on Sunday regarding the piece of land on which his house was built. His lawyer asked a representative from the Israeli land authority to give the court a document proving the purchase of his land, but he refused to do so.

The legal battle against Israeli attempts to seize his land has been ongoing for 22 years, added Alyan.

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