Occupation escalates demolition operations in Jerusalem, forces citizen to self-demolish her home

The Israeli occupation authorities continue to implement a systematic demolition policy in the occupied city of Jerusalem, where they forced Jerusalemite citizen Awatef Mahmoud Al-Ghoul to demolish her home with her own hands in the Al-Suwaih neighborhood. This coercive measure was taken to avoid paying exorbitant fines and demolition costs imposed by the occupation municipality if the operation were carried out by its military machinery, leaving Jerusalemites with choices, the least bitter of which is still harsh.

In the town of Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem, heavily armed forces stormed the Al-Marwaha area and began destroying extensive commercial and agricultural facilities. The demolition operations included containers designated for storing goods and sheep pens, causing severe material losses estimated at hundreds of thousands of shekels, amid a state of shock among the owners of these businesses who lost their livelihoods in a few minutes.

Local sources reported that military bulldozers ravaged everything they found on the ground without real prior warning, as those affected denied receiving any legal notifications allowing them to go to court. Citizen Faraj Abu Rumaila confirmed that his personal loss exceeded 300,000 shekels, indicating that the occupation seeks to impose a new reality in the area by destroying everything that exists on the ground.

Occupation authorities justify their operations with 'lack of permits,' an excuse that has become a primary means of combating the Palestinian presence in the Holy City. Human rights and international organizations confirm that obtaining building permits for Palestinians in Jerusalem is almost impossible, due to the deliberately obstructive administrative and political obstacles placed before them by the occupation municipality.

Data issued by the human rights association 'Bimkom' revealed that the gap in granting building permits reflects a blatant policy of racial discrimination, as only 600 housing units were approved for Palestinians in 2025. In contrast, the authorities gave the green light for the construction of about 9,000 housing units for Jewish settlers, which illustrates the extent of the demographic targeting of the city.

Although Palestinians constitute about 40% of the population of occupied Jerusalem, their share of approved housing units did not exceed 7% last year. These figures confirm that the occupation uses planning and building laws as a political tool to reduce the Arab presence and expand settlements at the expense of citizens' lands and private properties.

In his testimony on the destruction, Ayman Musallamani, one of those affected in Beit Hanina, explained that the demolition targeted agricultural facilities and goods containers that constituted the economic lifeline for a number of families. Musallamani considered what is happening to be an 'economic war' aimed at forcing Jerusalemites to leave their city against their will by restricting their livelihoods and preventing them from utilizing their lands.

Reports from the Jerusalem Governorate indicate a dangerous escalation in the pace of demolitions since the beginning of this year, with more than 200 homes and facilities documented as demolished so far. Demolition operations vary between those carried out by occupation machinery and 'self-demolition' which citizens are forced into under the pressure of threats of financial fines that can reach hundreds of thousands of shekels.

Occupation officers claim during incursions that the targeted lands fall within 'Area C,' which is administratively and security-controlled by them according to the Oslo Accords, in preparation for their official annexation to the Jerusalem municipality. This settlement expansion comes within a comprehensive plan to isolate Palestinian neighborhoods and turn them into isolated enclaves, which necessitates international action to stop these ongoing violations against Jerusalemites.

They do not grant us permits to build or use the land in the first place, and what is happening is a clear policy of displacement to empty Jerusalem and its suburbs.