Palestinian family forced to demolish own home in Al-Quds
A Palestinian family from the occupied Al-Quds neighborhood of Silwan embarked on demolishing their own home after they were forced to do so by Israeli municipality, according to local sources.
Members of the Simrin family said they were forced to demolish their own home after the Israeli municipality issued a demolition order against it under the pretext it was built without a permit, and in order to avoid paying unreasonable demolition costs to the Israeli municipality in the event it carried out the demolition.
Palestinians in Al-Quds say they are forced to build without a permit because getting a building permit is impossible as the right-wing mayor and city council attempt to keep the city’s Palestinian population at a bare minimum while multiplying its Jewish residents by approving the construction of thousands of new housing units in Jewish settlements.
Almost 75 percent of applications for a permit by the Palestinian citizens of Al-Quds are rejected by the municipality, according to rights groups.