Pictures and details: The occupation authorities demolish two building in the village of Al-Tur and displace 16 individuals
The occupation municipality’s bulldozers demolished on Tuesday early morning two residential buildings owned by Abulhawa family in the area of “Al-Khilweh” in the village of Al-Tur east of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The two buildings are owned by three brothers (Tayseer, Jaser and Ahmad Abulhawa). They were built in 2010 and every building consists of two floors where every floor is 180 square meters. Tayseer Abulhawa, Samir Ahmad Bassa and Tahseen Shweiki live in three apartments while a tenant was leasing the fourth apartment and left few months ago.
The family explained that the occupation municipality executed the demolition process this morning without prior notice; they raided the area yesterday and checked the buildings. Municipality crews were informed that the family’s lawyer was able to postpone the demolition order two months ago for 6 month. The lawyer had submitted a request to the municipality yesterday to hold an urgent session; it was scheduled for this morning but the municipality crews and Israeli forces raided the area and executed the demolition and displaced 13 individuals.
Abulhawa family added that building violation fines were imposed on the two buildings. One was 150 thousand NIS while the other was 130 thousand NIS. The family was committed to paying the monthly payment in order to avoid demolishing the buildings while attempting to obtain a building permit at the same time.
Dr Tayseer Abulhawa and his family of 6 individuals lived in one apartment in the first building while the tenant who was leasing the second apartment moved out few months ago. Tahseen Shweiki, his wife and their child as well as Samir Ahmad Bassa and his family of 7 individuals lived in the second building; Shweiki and Bassa families have been living in the building for 4 years after renting it from Abulhawa family.
Municipality crews took parts of the furniture outside the apartments while the bulldozers demolished the buildings on top of the rest. The residents explained that their furniture was buried under the rubble. Bassa family explained that the forces prevented them from taking their money from their apartment.
