Israeli Forces Compel Palestinians to Self-Demolish Homes in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem: Israeli occupation authorities on Monday forced two Palestinian residents to demolish their own homes and destroyed a commercial shop in occupied Jerusalem. Local sources told WAFA that Israeli authorities forced a Palestinian resident to demolish her home in Beit Hanina, a neighborhood north of Jerusalem. Another resident in the same area was forced to remove his mobile home. Additionally, Israeli forces demolished a commercial shop owned by a local resident in the Shuafat refugee camp, north of Jerusalem. According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, staff from the Israeli municipality, accompanied by occupation forces, raided the East Jerusalem town of Issawiya and distributed demolition notices to Palestinian homeowners. The owners were also summoned to appear before the municipality's inspection department. Under the pretext of building without a permit, which is rarely granted to Palestinians in the occupied city, the Israeli municipality has been demolishing or forcing Palestin ians to demolish their own houses as part of a policy aimed at restricting Palestinian expansion and growth in occupied Jerusalem. Palestinians in East Jerusalem find themselves compelled to tear down their homes after receiving a demolition order to avoid paying exorbitant costs to the Israeli municipality if it carries out the demolition. Palestinians say they are forced to build without permits because the Israeli municipality discriminates against them and refuses to issue permits or places unreasonable conditions that they cannot afford to issue a permit. At the same time, thousands of housing units are built for colonists in the city on appropriated Palestinian lands and are made easily accessible to them. The Jerusalem Governorate reported in its monthly report on Israeli violations in Jerusalem that, during November, Israeli authorities carried out 36 demolitions and bulldozing operations. This includes seven cases of forced self-demolition and 28 demolitions executed by Israeli machinery, alongside one case of a bulldozing operation. Since October 7, 2023, the number of demolition and land-bulldozing operations carried out by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem has reached 391.