During October 2009, the Occupation Municipality in Jerusalem continued its ethnic cleansing policies; the most dangerous of these policies is ‘house demolitions’. The Israeli Occupation Authorities demolished or forced the demolition of 11 Palestinian Houses with a total area of 1340 m2 in different parts of Jerusalem including Beit Hanina, Silwan, Sur Bahir, Jabal al Mukabbir, and Shu’fat. The damage was mostly done in Sur Bahir as 5 Palestinian houses were destroyed in Um Laysoon neighborhood. These demolitions rendered more than 80 people homeless and living in tents.
Map (1): Demolition Sites.
Case 1: on October 12, 2009, Bulldozers of the Jerusalem Municipality leveled a house in Beit Hanina. The house which belonged to Amjad Khamess Tiryaqi was 50 m2, had one bedroom and was built out of wood and bricks. 5 people used to live in the house. Currently, the only shelter left for them is a tent built on the remains of the house.
Picture 1: Tiryaqis house before demolition.
Picture 2: Tiryaqis house after demolition.
Case 2: The Jerusalem Municipality destroyed Al Razem residence for the third time.
October 12, 2009, a bulldozer accompanied by a large force of ‘Israeli Borders Police’, Special Forces, and a number of the Municipality employees came into Beit Hanina and the bulldozer destroyed the house of Abdul Salam Al Razem.
Al Razem stated:’ After the first demolition of our house, we built a wall around the area and built a 100-m2 and four bedrooms house. The Municipality issued a demolition order for the house and implemented it turning the house into wreckage for the second time.’ He explained.
‘Three months ago, an Israeli Borders Police Patrol showed up and fined my brother the amount of NIS 4500 because of building a wall without having the needed permits. The Borders Police put my brother in detention till we paid. On October 12, 2009, a large force of the Israeli Borders Police accompanied by a bulldozer came in and leveled the 70-m2 structure,’ he added.
Case 3: Al Abbasis were forced to demolish their own house.
October, 2009, the Jerusalem Municipality forced Ahmad Mahmoud Abbasi to demolish his 90 m2 house. The house, which was located in Silwan, was destroyed for building without a permit. It must be stated that Al Abbasis, alongside a number of neighbors, had applied for the required permits but they were not granted them because the area is said to be ‘Green Area’ and no constructions are allowed in the area.
Ahmad Al Abbasi stated for the Human Rights and Residence Observer in LRC, that’ while the architect is preparing the permit request file to be handed to the municipality, the demolition of our house and many other houses demolition orders were not stopping. After threatening me to pay huge fines alongside demolition and cleaning costs which I cannot afford, I had to do the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life; destroying my own house!!!’
Case 4:
The 27th of October, 2009 was a black day for the Palestinians living in the occupied city of Jerusalem, especially residents of Um Laysoon neighborhood in Sur Bahir where 5 houses were destroyed. In addition, the Israeli Occupation Authorities destroyed three other houses in Jabal al Mukabbir and Shu’fat. The usual no-permits was used to justify the demolitions. It is obvious that the Jerusalem Municipality gives no construction permits to Palestinians while it approves the construction of thousands of residential units in colonies built on different parts of Jerusalem district.
The houses were owned by Nimer Ali Nimer and 3 of his sons, ‘Atef Abu Dweh, Khamees Shihada Al Tahhan, Ahmad Yousuf Abu Sarhan, and Abdullah Salama Shqeirat.
Picture 3: Nimers apartments turned into ruins – Um Laysoon
Picture 4: Al Tahhan family house remains – Dahyat al Salam
Table 1: summary of house demolitions from the beginning of 2009
|
Month
|
Number of Residents
|
Family members
|
|
January
|
6
|
40
|
|
February
|
11*
|
71*
|
|
March
|
9
|
62
|
|
April
|
4
|
23
|
|
May
|
1
|
8
|
|
June
|
9
|
70
|
|
July
|
9
|
60
|
|
August
|
0
|
0
|
|
September
|
0
|
0
|
|
October
|
11
|
80
|
|
Total
|
60
|
414
|
* Note: 3 residents were tents that sheltered Al Sayayla nomads located between At Tur and Al ‘Eizariya. 40 people lived in the tents; more than their half were children.
For additional information relating to house demolitions in East Jerusalem since the beginning of 2009, please press the following links:
1. The Demolition of Palestinian Houses in Jerusalem during the month of July 2009, 06,September,2009.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
