Israel forced a Palestinian to demolish his house with his own hands in occupied East Jerusalem

According to the statement made by the Palestinian Jerusalem Governorship, Israeli authorities decided to demolish the house of Palestinian Fevvaz al-Recebi, located in the Beit Hanina town in the north of East Jerusalem, on the grounds that it was "unlicensed".

Rajabi had to demolish his house himself, as he could not afford the high costs that would arise if the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality carried out the demolition, and to prevent Israeli construction equipment from damaging his son's house, which was right next door, during the demolition.

It was stated that the 60 square meter house, belonging to Recebi, the father of five children, was built about 15 years ago.

License obstacles and high demolition costs

Israeli authorities are forcing Palestinians in East Jerusalem to demolish their homes themselves to avoid paying the high demolition costs that would be charged if municipal crews carry out demolition.

Palestinians and human rights organizations emphasize that Israel imposes heavy restrictions on Palestinians in East Jerusalem in order to deny them development licenses, which forces people to build unlicensed buildings and puts their homes at risk of demolition.

The United Nations and the international community consider East Jerusalem as occupied territory and do not recognize Israel's unilateral annexation of the city in 1980.

According to the report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and based on data from the Separation (Shame) Wall and the Council to Combat Jewish Settlements, Israeli authorities carried out 341 demolitions in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the first half of 2026.