A Palestinian citizen from the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Al-Thawri embarked today on demolishing a room of his own after he was forced to do so by Israeli municipality to avoid paying exorbitant costs if the municipality carries out the demolition.
Hamza Mahmoud Abu Sal’oum, a resident of Al-Thawri neighborhood, said he was forced to demolish the home after the Israeli municipality issued a demolition order against it under the pretext it was built without a permit.
He said he had decided to carry out the demolition in order to avoid paying unreasonable demolition costs to the Israeli municipality.
Palestinians in Jerusalem say they are forced to build without a permit because getting a building permit is impossible as the right-wing mayor and city council attempt to keep the city’s Palestinian population at a bare minimum while multiplying its Jewish residents by approving the construction of thousands of new housing units in Jewish settlements.
Almost 75 percent of applications for a permit by the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem are rejected by the municipality, according to rights groups.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency