Israeli occupation police and municipality staff stormed into Al-Bustan neighbourhood in the town of Silwan, south of occupied Jerusalem, today and used heavy machinery to demolish another Palestinian house under the pretext that it lacked a construction permit, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported. Such permits are very rarely, if ever, given to Palestinian house owners by the Israeli authorities.
According to official Palestinian data published by the Jerusalem governorate, the number of demolitions during this month alone equal the total number of Israeli demolitions carried out in the occupied city during the first half of this year.
There were 127 demolitions in occupied Jerusalem during the first half of 2024, including 42 forced self-demolitions, and 73 demolitions carried out by Israeli occupation forces. If the Palestinian owners of the houses refuse to demolish their own homes, then the Israelis do it for them and charge the owners for doing so.
The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission recorded 243 demolitions in the occupied West Bank during the same period, including 318 civil society facilities.