On December 11, 2012, the Israeli Occupation Forces demolished two Palestinian residences in At Tur on the pretext of unlisenced construction. The first residence was inhabited by the families of Sharif Al Jabari, 24, married and a father of one and Bassam al Jabari, 37, married and father of 6. Sharif commented: ‘in 1998, the Israeli Occupation Forces demolished our residence which stood in Tal al Fol in Beit Hanina on the pretext of unlicensed construction. Years later, we rebuilt the house but this time in At Tur.
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As soon as the construction was over we received a demolition order for unlicensed construction. We assigned a lawyer, Mr. Mahmoud Ghanayem to follow the case up and presented all the required documents. However, 10 days ago, officer of the Municipality served us a demolition order; we objected to the order and managed to acquire a two-month extension. However, we were shocked to see Police officers and soldiers surrounding the house and forcing us out in the blistering cold before a dozer razed the residence’. The demolition lasted for an hour before the Israeli troops left the area leaving nothing but destruction behind.
It is clear that the Israelis have embarked on a large-scale demolition campaign hitting different parts of the West Bank; it is also clear that the Israelis tend to humiliate the Palestinians by choosing to demolish the residence in such bad weather conditions, leaving people shelter-less in the cold.
