Israel demolishes more Palestinian houses in Jerusalem

Israeli police forced a Palestinian mother and her 4 children from their home before its demolition in Jerusalem. At least 4 Palestinian homes were razed in Jabal Al-Mukaber, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, claiming they were unlicensed. The Halaseh brothers’ homes were razed as… pic.twitter.com/ZH8IR8lFmy

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) February 18, 2025

Israeli police demolished four more Palestinian houses on Tuesday in the town of Jabal Al-Mukaber, south-east of occupied Jerusalem, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. The homes were demolished under the pretext of being unlicensed buildings.

Witnesses reported that Israeli occupation police and army forces stormed into the town, escorted by bulldozers and municipality teams. They demolished the homes of the brothers Ali, Amin, Hamed and Muhammad Halaseh.

The Israeli occupation authorities oblige Palestinian citizens in occupied Jerusalem to self-demolish their homes if they are alleged to be unlicensed. Whoever refuses to do so will have the house knocked down by Israeli bulldozers and have to pay an exorbitant amount for this to be done.

The Israeli occupation municipality in Jerusalem refrains from granting Palestinian citizens construction licences. Forcing them to self-demolish their own homes is inconsistent with international and humanitarian laws which guarantee the right to housing. However, such a punishment is within the framework of the systematic occupation practice to forcibly displace the Palestinians from the city of Jerusalem in favour of illegal settlement expansion.

According to data published by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority, the Israeli occupation authorities carried out 76 demolitions in Jerusalem last month that affected 126 facilities, including 74 inhabited and 4 uninhabited houses, as well as 29 agricultural and other structures.

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