A Palestinian family from the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukaber was forced to demolish its own home by the Israeli municipality today, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Mohammad Abu Turki said he had to demolish his own home, after the Israeli municipality handed him an order asking them to do so, under the pretext of lacking a construction permit.
Israeli occupation forces forced the Jerusalemite Mohammad Abu Turki and his son Essam to demolish their home in Jabal Al-Mukaber area in the occupied Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/sGZX37veK2
— Palestinian Eve 🇵🇸 (@Palestinian_Eve) July 18, 2020
Abu Turki’s son, Isam, was also forced to demolish his own apartment, after being notified to do so by the occupation’s municipality.
The father and the son said they had no option but to do so in order to avoid paying unreasonable demolition costs to the Israeli municipality if its crews carried out the demolition.
The home and the apartment demolished were the only shelters for the five-member family.
A Palestinian house was demolished by Israeli forces in the town of Jabal Al-Mukaber, south of occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/IHbEf3kGyO
— Palestine live (@PalliveEn) July 15, 2020
According to Israeli rights group B’Tselem, the”destruction of the neighborhood denies its residents the right to housing, which is derived from the right to an adequate standard of living as it is defined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
“In addition, the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the occupying state to destroy the property of residents of occupied territory, who benefit from the status of protected persons,” B’tselem added.
(Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
