LONDON: Two Palestinian families in the town of Jabal Al-Mukaber, located southeast of occupied East Jerusalem, self-demolished their homes on Sunday under an Israeli order to avoid hefty fines.
The brothers Jihad and Luay Shuqairat were fined about 200,000 shekels (around $62,000) for building without permits. They have already paid 14,000 shekels, according to the Palestine News Agency.
They faced a threat of an additional 120,000 shekels if Israeli authorities demolished their homes to cover the costs of machinery and security staff.
Jabal Al-Mukaber is one of East Jerusalem’s major towns, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem from the southeast. Jihad lived at home with his wife and daughter, while Luay lived with his parents and brother, leaving both families without homes, the PNA added.
The Jerusalem Governorate said that the Israeli demolition order encompassed a storage room belonging to the Shuqairats, a warehouse, a horse stable, and facilities used for raising birds and livestock.
Israel regularly denies Palestinians building permits, while illegally expanding Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in June 1967 and has since maintained a military-run regime over security and civilian matters related to Palestinian lives.
