British Broadcasting CorporationAhmad Musa al-Qumbar, 29, walked through the ruins of his former home, fearful that Jerusalem city authorities would hunt him down. The married Palestinian father of four built the modest one-story building seven years ago on land he owns and where his family has lived for generations.
But Ahmed never actually received legal permission to build.
He lives in the Jabal Mukaber neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Located within sight of the Old Town and its many historical and religious monuments, it is one of the most densely populated and contested areas in the region. It was occupied by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast War and was later annexed, but is widely considered Palestinian territory internationally.
Control of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues in the decades-long conflict. The Palestinians officially claim East Jerusalem as their capital, while Israel considers the entire city to be its capital.
“Who” is allowed to build “where” in the city is an important part of this battle.
The rate of demolition of Palestinian homes in occupied east Jerusalem has almost doubled since the conflict in Gaza began, rights groups and monitoring groups say. The demolitions were ordered by the Israeli-run municipality, which said many buildings like Ahmed’s were built illegally without permits.
NGO Ir Amim said Israel was “forcibly driving Palestinians from their homes and cities under the cover of war”.
“I had to demolish my house after being punished by the police and the Israeli courts,” Ahmed told me, standing in the ruins of what was once a kitchen.
“I couldn’t pay the fine and risked losing things like health care and children’s insurance. Of course, we appealed to the courts, but they refused.
Like many others in his situation, Ahmed reluctantly hired heavy machinery and demolished the house himself. He said Jerusalem city authorities would charge him the equivalent of $100,000 (£75,600) if they carried out the order.
This may make the job even more painful – destroying your family’s work and your children’s future with your own hands.
Almost all attempts by Palestinian families in East Jerusalem to apply for planning permission have been rejected by Israeli authorities. This means a growing number of families say they have no choice but to build illegally and face the potential consequences – hefty fines and demolition orders.
Some say the laws and courts are deliberately used to suppress Palestinian development and ambitions.
“These Palestinian communities ask for permission, but 95 to 99 percent of their requests are denied,” said Shay Parnes, spokesman for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
“This has been happening for years,” Parnes continued.
“Sometimes they justify it on security grounds, but always within the same framework of expelling Palestinians… because the laws are different for different communities living next to each other in the same city.”
On the city’s predominantly Jewish west side, a skyline that used to consist of relatively low white stone buildings has changed dramatically in recent years. The construction industry is booming. Cranes are operating almost 24/7 and new residential and commercial high-rises are growing taller as the Jerusalem side expands.
There has also been frantic construction activity in areas of East Jerusalem that Israel claims are land to make way for Jewish settlements. In Hahomah, an estimated 25,000 people now live in brand-new homes on land officially acquired by Israel in 1991.
Getty ImagesAcross the road are the Palestinian villages of Umutuba and Surbach, where many of the public facilities are significantly inferior to those in Har Houma.
In stark contrast to the construction work on the other side of the highway, several homes here have been forcibly demolished in recent years, in what Amnesty International describes as “a flagrant violation of international law and part of a systematic pattern of forcible demolitions by Israeli authorities.” part”. replace the Palestinians”.
The situation is similar for the settlement of Gilo, where occupied East Jerusalem is seen internationally as rapidly expanding and some argue that neighboring Palestinian suburbs are not capable of growing at the same rate.
The international community considers Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem to violate international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. Israel also denies that the demolitions are part of a deliberate discriminatory policy that has accelerated amid the disruption of the war in Gaza.
The Jerusalem Municipality said in a statement that the accusations were “totally false” and said there was local support for “comprehensive building and construction plans in almost all areas of East Jerusalem”.
The plan “aims to provide options for community expansion, address widespread illegal building issues and designate areas for the construction of municipal service structures,” it added.
But it is not difficult to find examples of Israel enforcing demolition orders against Palestinian homes across East Jerusalem.
In the suburb of Sylvan, just below the Old City, we found another Palestinian home among the ruins. Lutfiyah al-Wahidi said the outbuilding was built more than a decade ago for her son’s family, but authorities eventually called.
“Even if we build just one brick, the authorities will come and tear it down. How has our house harmed them? I doubt the authorities will ever be interested in this land.
The grandmother said she has paid thousands of dollars in court fines over the years in a futile attempt to keep her property.
“My son has a family of six and only one provider. They did something bad and they still want to tear it down,” she said, adding that her extended family is now dispersed to other parts of the city.
In a comprehensive policy briefing, Mr Amim found that since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, “the promotion and rapid implementation of plans for new settlements in East Jerusalem has accelerated significantly, with the pace of settlement construction rising sharply”. Palestinian Houses”.
“The Israeli government is clearly using the war to create more facts,” the report continued.
It is estimated that there are at least 20,000 outstanding demolition orders in East Jerusalem, which have no expiration date.
Many commentators have also observed that since October 7, far-right members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the city of Jerusalem have become more confident in publicly expressing their desire to build more Jewish homes on occupied or disputed land will.
While Palestinians, like Ahmed and Lutfiya’s families, are clearly more fearful of losing their homes, they insist they will stay and eventually rebuild their lives in East Jerusalem.
