Demolishing three apartments belonging to the Abu Mayaleh family in Beit Hanina, and a Jerusalemite was forced to self-demolish his home in Jabal al-Mukabber
On Monday, Israeli municipality bulldozers demolished three apartments owned by the Abu Mayaleh family in the town of Beit Hanina in Jerusalem. Earlier this week, resident Shadi Obeidat from Jabal al-Mukabber was compelled to self-demolish his own house.
Beit Hanina
In the early morning hours, municipal crews with bulldozers, police, and special forces raided the Beit Hanina town north of Jerusalem. They surrounded the Abu Mayaleh family building, evicted the residents, and proceeded with the demolition.
Marwan Abu Mayaleh stated, "Today, the bulldozers demolished my house, as well as my mother's and brother's homes." He clarified that the building had three apartments and that his family had inhabited them for approximately 20 years.
Abu Mayaleh explained, "This building had three apartments totaling 200 square meters. We lived here for 20 years, and then the municipality came and demolished the entire structure without giving us a chance to evacuate." He continued, "There are about 21 of us living here, including children. We've endured a lot from the municipality, which issued numerous building violation notices before unexpectedly demolishing our homes."
He explained that the demolitions happened without giving the family a chance to remove their belongings. He mentioned, "They fined us, and we agreed to pay. Where are we supposed to go? Rents are high, and we have nowhere else to live."
Jabal Al-Mukabber
Shadi Obeidat said he was forced to self-demolish his home. He explained that he built the 62-square-meter house in 2009 and lived there with his wife and three children.
He added, "I received a fine of 38,000 shekels, then another of 35,000 shekels, and finally 28,000 shekels. I applied to the 'Planning and Licensing' project and was close to obtaining a building permit, but ultimately, the final demolition order was issued last Wednesday."
