Gaza Genocide06 July, 20263 min read
Israel Forces Jerusalem Families to Demolish Their Own Homes, Bulldozers Destroy Three in al-Jiftlik
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Sur Baher and Jabal Al-Mukaber residents forced to self-demolish. Israeli forces demolished residential and agricultural structures in Masafer Yatta.
Self-demolition in East Jerusalem
In occupied East Jerusalem, Israel forces Jerusalemite families to demolish their own homes, a practice described as “self-demolition” that leaves homeowners facing two choices: demolish themselves or pay additional costs and steep fines if authorities carry out the demolition. The Palestinian Opinion Agency says Israeli occupation bulldozers demolished three homes and displaced their residents in the town of al-Jiftlik in the Jordan Valley, north of Jericho, and it also describes a Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building meeting to set standards for implementing demolition orders in East Jerusalem. Chronique de Palestine reports that Basema Dabash in Sur Baher was compelled to demolish her home on February 12 after a notice arrived in January, and it says she was told the demolition had to be done from the outside and as soon as possible.
Chronique de Palestine adds that the Dabash family finished demolishing a house that housed eight people, including three children, but it still faced a fine of 45,000 shekels ($14,600) to be paid in installments through 2029. Aliyan al-Hindi, a specialist on Israeli affairs, says that “the policy of demolishing houses is a systematic punishment against Palestinians in Jerusalem,” and he describes demolishing homes as part of “a demographic war targeting Palestinian residents in Jerusalem.”
Orders, fines, and a strike
WAFA reports that on July 6, 2026, Israeli occupation forces delivered demolition orders and issued fines against Palestinian-owned homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Al-Mukaber, handing over several demolition orders and citations for being built without licenses. WAFA says the delivery of orders and citations came as part of Israel’s policy aimed at tightening restrictions on Palestinians and imposing stringent limitations on construction and urban expansion in occupied Jerusalem, and it adds that Israel demolishes houses regularly using the pretext of illegal building. The Palestinian Opinion Agency says the Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building held a meeting after a petition filed by extremist Jewish associations to the Central Court in Jerusalem demanding enforcement of demolition orders totaling 450 that had not yet been carried out.
It quotes Qais Nasser of the Beqa’a Rights Center saying that “about 450 demolition orders have not been executed” due to factors including lack of on-the-ground police support, lack of approval by political leadership, or budgetary constraints allocated for demolition. Chronique de Palestine describes Basema Dabash saying she chose to demolish her own home to avoid fines, and it quotes her: “I find myself washing dishes and tears streaming down constantly.”
What’s at stake next
Chronique de Palestine links the pressure on East Jerusalem families to permit barriers and rejected requests, saying Basema’s troubles began in 2014 when she received a notice that an extension built for her son was constructed without a permit. It reports that the demolition order targeted a 45-square-meter extension Basema added to the main house and another outbuilding, and it says the family had tried several times to obtain a building permit but “their requests had always been rejected by Israel.” The article also says the demolition separated Mohammad’s family because they could not consider renting housing given high real estate prices, and it describes the psychological harm as grandchildren leaving “crying because we cannot have them here.”
In the same broader context, حفريات | West Asian says demolition orders become a direct threat to the stability of thousands of families, and it describes the psychological impact of scenes of dismantling homes and smashing children’s rooms and furniture. WAFA adds that Palestinians in East Jerusalem are denied citizenship rights and are classified only as “residents” whose permits can be revoked if they move away from the city for more than a few years, while it says Israel’s policy also includes building “tens of thousands of housing units” in illegal colonies in East Jerusalem for Jews to offset the demographic balance.