On July 18, 2018, Jamal Ayoub Ahmad Hadia had to destroy his house in Al-Thawri neighborhood, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, after he was forced by the Israeli Municipality to knock the dwelling  down on the pretext of unlicensed construction.

In spite of the fact that it was built 20 years ago, the Israeli Municipality still insisted on demolishing the house that was foubded on a 90-square-meter area and had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a living room, sheltering Jamal and his five-member family.

Jamal Hadia told the Land Research Center researcher that:

Twenty years ago, i.e. in 1998, this house was built on a plot of land we own, and I came to live in it with my family. Four years ago, in 2014, employees from the Israeli Municipality visited the area and took footage of the building. They left a demolition order on the building and called  me to court. Indeed I attended all the court sessions and in the last hearing of the court, which was in January 2018, the judge issued a decision for the house to be leveled within a maximum period of 6 months.

Hadia added:

In order to avoid any incurring fines in case the Municipality took on the implementation of the  demolition order, we decided to take matters into our own hands and self demolish what we call home. On Wednesday, July 18, 2018, we emptied the house of its contents, and knocked the house down…

Hadia is not the only case this year. Indeed, six families to had to destroy their own homes since the beginning of 2018. This practice seems inconceivable and illogical but Palestinians are left with no choice. Israeli authorities impose high fines on Palestinian citizens as a form of punishment for building their homes or any structures without obtaining permits from the Israeli Municipality. These fines may amount to hundreds of thousands of shekels and  vary as costs and fees of hiring a bulldozer  and bringing police officers are also included. There is no doubt that these fines levied by the  Jerusalem Municipality of the Israeli occupation are a source of income and profit to the Municipality.

Self- Demolition: A Crime against Humanity

Definition: An owner destroying his/her own structure(s). The phenomenon of Palestinians destroying their own homes  is not new but it is on the rise. In many cases it goes underreported in media for fear of embarrassment and feelings of guilt as the Palestinian owner feels ashamed that he/she is left with no choice but to destroy their own structures.

This policy of self-demolition that targets Palestinians who live in Jerusalem is part of the Israeli plan to kick Palestinians out of the city to give it a Jewish identity. This practice is a stark violation to the right of residence and is inconceivable in itself.

For families, taking matters into their own hands and destroying their dwellings is mainly done for economic considerations and fear of going to jail, as Israeli authorities impose a deadline and threaten with fines and fees if the family refuses to demolish their house.

According to LRC field research, the Israeli authorities forced 17 Palestinians to self-demolish their structures in 2017.

This case study is part of Kan'aan Project