LONDON: Israeli authorities on Sunday forced a Palestinian man to demolish his home in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem after determining that it had been built without an Israeli-issued permit, according to the Jerusalem governorate.
Mamoun Salem Shuyukhi demolished the roughly 70 sq. meter house in Silwan’s Al-Ain Al-Fawqa area, the governorate said. The home, built about two years ago, housed Shuyukhi, his wife and their three children.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem are frequently ordered to tear down homes that Israel claims are built without permits. Those who do not comply can have their properties demolished by municipal crews and may be billed for the work, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Separately, Israeli authorities issued on Saturday an eviction order affecting a house and portions of other homes belonging to the Maragha family in Silwan, according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center.
The order includes the 40 sq. meter home of Naeem Maragha, built in 1966 and occupied by four people. It also affects the 68 sq. meter home of Salah Maragha, requiring the family to vacate 40 sq. meters of the property, where four people live.
In addition, the order calls for 6 sq. meters of the home shared by Inam Maragha and her sister Rabia to be vacated and physically separated from the rest of the residence, the center said.
The sisters have serious health conditions and are fully immobile, it said.
Palestinian officials and rights groups say Palestinians face severe obstacles in obtaining Israeli building permits in East Jerusalem. They contend that permit restrictions and demolitions help displace Palestinian residents as Israeli settlements expand in and around the city.
Bimkom, an Israeli planning rights group, said only 7 percent of new housing approved in Jerusalem in 2025 was designated for Palestinians, who account for about 40 percent of the city’s population.
Israel rejects claims that its planning policies discriminate against Palestinians, saying municipal building regulations are enforced under the law.
In a statement to the BBC in June, the Jerusalem Municipality said it was acting “for the benefit of all city residents” and planned to create a park in an area facing “a severe shortage of open public spaces.”
Israeli settlements in occupied territory and the forcible transfer of protected populations are considered illegal under international law.
