A Palestinian resident of occupied East Jerusalem proceeded last night to demolish his own house in Silwan neighborhood under pressure from the Israeli West Jerusalem municipality, which said the house was built without a permit and therefore should be demolished, reported WAFA correspondent.
Mohammad Nassar al-Husseini proceeded to tear down his house at Wadi Qaddum quarter in Silwan to avoid paying exorbitant costs that could exceed $60,000 if the Jerusalem municipality carries out the demolition on its own.
Using the pretext of building without a permit, which is rarely granted to Palestinians in the occupied city, the Israeli municipality has condemned hundreds of Palestinian-owned houses as part of a policy aimed to restrict Palestinian expansion and number in occupied Jerusalem.
At the same time, the municipality and government build tens of thousands of housing units in illegal settlements in East Jerusalem for Jews with a goal to offset the demographic balance in favor of the Jewish settlers in the occupied city.
Source: Palestinian New & Info Agency