Israel forces Palestinian family to demolish Jerusalem home

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli municipal authorities have forced a Palestinian family to demolish their home in occupied East Jerusalem, according to a local NGO on Sunday.

In a statement, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said the Jerusalem Municipality forced the Abu Sneineh family to raze their home on Saturday in Jabal al-Mukaber neighborhood in Jerusalem, citing lack of a construction permit.

The demolition has left the family of six, including children, homeless.

According to the NGO, the Abu Sneineh family had previously been forced by Israeli authorities to demolish their home in Ras al-Amud area in Jerusalem in 2015.

Israel widely uses the pretext of lack of construction permits to demolish Palestinian homes. Palestinians say the Israeli authorities rarely give construction permits to Palestinians in addition to the costly fees of the construction licenses.

Recently, the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem resorted to escalating self-demolition decisions in the occupied city to avoid international criticism of the demolitions.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar