‘Israel’ forces Palestinian to self-demolish his own store in Jerusalem

Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Israeli occupation authorities on Saturday forced a Palestinian man to self-demolish his own store in Wadi al-Hilwa neighborhood in Silwan in the occupied Jerusalem.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that Ali Seyam was forced to self-demolish his own store in the Wadi al-Hilwa neighborhood in Silwan to avoid paying 20,000 shekels (approx. USD$6,000) in exorbitant demolition costs to the Israeli municipality (the staff and the police) if it carries out the demolition.


Using the pretext of illegal building, ‘Israel’ demolishes houses on a regular basis to restrict Palestinian expansion in occupied Jerusalem.

At the same time, the municipality and the occupation government built tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem for Jews with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favour of the Israeli settlers in the occupied city.

Silwan, home to around 33,000 Palestinians, is located outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and its holy sites.

Israel has been moving its citizens into the neighbourhood since the 1980s. This has resulted in numerous human rights violations, including the forced eviction and displacement of Palestinian residents.

Hundreds of Palestinian families are being threatened with evictions and house demolitions from their homes by illegal settler groups, fully supported by the Israeli government.

There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

The Israeli court had previously rejected many appeals filed by the residents of Silwan, and allowed “Ateret Cohanim” to continue its procedures relevant to the immediate expelling of the seven Palestinian families.

Ateret Cohanim, a settler organization, has been seeking, with the support of Israeli occupation authorities, to forcibly evict some Palestinian families in Silwan, claiming the land is rightfully owned by a Jewish trust active in the area more than 100 years ago.

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