Demolition operations and displacement of residents in the city of Jerusalem
The occupation municipality forced the Amira family to self-demolish their homes in the village of Sur Baher, claiming they were built without a permit. This is part of a series of ongoing demolitions in the city.
The homes belong to Ahmed Amira, and his sons, Musab, Moaz, and Mahmoud. They were built between 1998 and 1999 and are home to 13 people. Over the past years, the family has attempted to obtain building permits and paid fines and court costs amounting to nearly one million shekels, but the municipality insisted on its final decision. The homes range in size from 40 to 70 square meters.
After the decision was issued, the family was forced to evacuate their homes and temporarily move in with relatives, due to the difficulty of finding houses to rent in Jerusalem. Today, the demolition order was compulsorily carried out.
In a related context, demolitions and displacement continue in the city. Last week, occupation bulldozers carried out a demolition operation in Anata, which included a residential villa, a park, two residential barns, and a sheep pen; the residential villa belongs to the Salama family.
Moaz Salama explained that the operation took place without prior warning or any official order. He added that the villa consists of three floors and is home to two families of 10 people; built in 2021.
Salama noted that the occupation authorities demanded that they halt construction in 2021, but the villa's perimeter was never completed. They only lived in the built-up part. The family attempted to obtain a building permit, but the Civil Administration rejected the request, leaving them with no option but to forcibly demolish it, thus continuing the cycle of displacement and eviction in Jerusalem.
