JERUSALEM, A Palestinian citizen from the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan embarked today on demolishing a room he had annexed to his home, after he was forced to do so by Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem to avoid paying exorbitant costs if the municipality carries out the demolition on its own.

Witnesses told WAFA that Mohammad Yaaqoub Yaghmour was forced to demolish the living room in his home after being asked to do so by the Israeli municipality, under the pretext it was built without a permit. Yaghmour had no choice but to demolish the 50-square-meter living room to avoid paying unreasonable demolition costs to the Israeli municipality.

Yaghmour said the remainder of his home was built prior to the Israeli occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967.

Palestinians in Jerusalem say they are forced to build without a permit because getting a building permit is impossible as the right-wing all-Israeli city council attempts 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 while denying Palestinians similar rights.

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