Jerusalem’s ‘self-demolition’ crisis: Palestinians forced to tear down their own homes

Growing number of Palestinians forced to carry out ‘self-demolitions’ in Jerusalem to escape Israeli enforcement costs, writes Khalil Mousa
This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Arabia
According to Mr Al-Tahan, “all I had left after that was a small flat, and today I was forced to demolish it myself because they will not leave us in peace”.

At the heart of these disputes is the issue of construction without a permit from the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality, in a context where obtaining such permits is extremely difficult – often to the point of impossibility – particularly in what is referred to as the city’s “Holy Basin”.

Structural plans for Jerusalem, drawn up by the Israeli municipality, show that only 14 per cent of the city’s land is allocated for development in Palestinian neighbourhoods, with the remainder designated as green zones.

‘The closest point between Earth and heaven’
Mr Odeh explained that the Jerusalem municipality had issued a demolition order for the house as far back as 2009, on the grounds that it stood on a site considered, according to Jewish beliefs, to be “the closest point between Earth and heaven”.

He added that Palestinians who don't opt to self-demolish are charged “the cost of bulldozers, Israeli security forces, ambulances, civil defence vehicles, and even dogs used for guard duty”.

Translated by Dalia Mohamed; Reviewed by Tooba Khokhar and Celine Assaf
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies