Demolition and displacement- the owners of 6 houses are left homeless
The occupation municipality displaced on Wednesday more than 30 Jerusalemites after the demolition of 6 houses, in the town of Silwan and the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in the city.
The Totah family…Demolition of their remaining house
The Israeli forces, accompanied by municipal crews, bulldozers and workers, stormed the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in the city of Jerusalem, and raided a house for the Totah family, and after sealing off the area and emptying some of the contents of the house, the bulldozer began the demolition process.
Jamila Totah - the owner of the house - explained that she was at the clinic to see the doctor when the forces broke into her house, and when she was aware of it she came right away, and said: "The pain and burning I felt when I saw the stones falling cannot be described in words, this is the house I have lived in for 23 years, and today turns into a pile of stones.”
Totah added that she, her son and his family live in the house "8 people" including a child with special needs.
She added that the family tried to obtain a building permit, but the municipality refused it, arguing that "the land is green" forbidding construction there.
Totah pointed out that the municipality demolished 3 houses for the family adjacent to her house last March, for the sake of the same argument.
She said: "The municipality wants the land without its owners and without houses, plans to make parks and paths in the area."
The occupation bulldozers also demolished a horse barracks for the Totah family in the place, and the trees were not spared from the demolition and razing process.
Wadi Qaddoum... displacement of 5 families
As for the "Burqan, Tawil, and Nassar" families, they self-demolished their five houses, which are two adjacent buildings.
The families explained that the Supreme Court approved the "demolition and evacuation of the land" decision, and accordingly the municipality demanded the demolition of the building, otherwise the municipality will implement the demolition decision, and the family must pay the "demolition fee" to the municipal crews, bulldozers and accompanying forces.
The area of the land is 2 dunums, and the municipality issued a decision to confiscate it in favor of the "Public Benefit", and after the confiscation decision, the municipality rejected all the procedures that the families submitted 27 years ago for the existing construction license.
Umm Mu'tasim Nassar-Burqan explained that her building consists of two floors "3 apartments", and has been standing for 28 years. A year after the construction, the municipality started pursuing them and imposing violations on them, and they paid more than 60 thousand shekels.
As for Hana Nassar-Tawil, she explained that her two-story building has been in existence for 22 years, and the municipality charged the family more than 30,000 shekels in fines.
The Nassar family pointed out that the municipality forced them about two years ago to demolish 3 houses on the land.
Demolition of a wall
The municipal bulldozers also demolished a wall for the Halisi family today, after they family was forced to self-demolish a "bathroom" in the town of Silwan on Tuesday.
