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Demolitions in East Jerusalem
Israeli bulldozers began on Monday, December 22, to demolish a four-story building housing about a dozen Palestinian families in East Jerusalem in the Silwan neighborhood near the Old City, on the grounds that it had been built without a permit.
Nearly a hundred Palestinians, including women, children and the elderly, live in the four-story building, according to local sources, and Eid Shawar, 38, said he was awakened by police who smashed his door to begin evictions.
Shawar said, "They told us to change clothes and take only papers and important documents. We were not allowed to take our furniture," adding, "This is a tragedy," as the façades were gradually destroyed in a cloud of dust.
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned what it called "a systematic policy of forced displacement of Palestinian citizens, aimed at emptying the city of its original inhabitants," and Le Monde with AFP reported that the demolition occurred "without notice," just hours before a meeting between residents' lawyer and a Jerusalem municipality official.
The Israeli municipality said the building had been "constructed without a permit" and was the subject of a "judicial demolition order" since 2014, while the land was intended for "recreational and sports" use, not residential.
UNRWA headquarters bulldozed
In occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces used bulldozers to demolish the UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah on Tuesday, drawing condemnation from the UN Secretary-General.
The UN Secretary-General said the Sheikh Jarrah complex remains United Nations property and is inviolable and protected from interference, urging the Israeli government to immediately stop the demolition and to return and restore the complex and UNRWA facilities.
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini described the demolition as an unprecedented attack on the UN, saying on X, "The demolition represents a new level of open and deliberate contempt for international law, including the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, by the State of Israel."
The UN News report also said that on 14 January Israeli forces entered an UNRWA health center in East Jerusalem and ordered its closure, with the agency saying its staff were terrified.
The UN News account linked the escalation to legislation passed by the Israeli Parliament in December that strengthened existing anti-UNRWA laws adopted in 2024, while also noting that the International Court of Justice reaffirmed Israel was obliged to facilitate UNRWA operations and not hinder or prevent them.
Forced self-demolitions
In East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood, WAFA reported that Israeli occupation authorities ordered a Palestinian to self-demolish part of his home in the Al-Ain neighborhood of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, for unlicensed building.
“Feature: 'I destroyed it while crying': In East Jerusalem, Palestinians forced to demolish their own homes to avoid steep fines”
Mohammed Al-Abbasi said he tore down approximately 25-square-meter section of his home that sheltered three of his children, effectively displacing them from the space that had served as their living area within the family home.
He said the demolition order came after lengthy legal proceedings lasting about 14 years, ending with a final decision requiring the demolition of the section for unlicensed building, and he carried it out himself to avoid heavy fines and financial costs if the municipality carried out the demolition.
Chronique de Palestine described how Basema Dabash, 51, and her husband Raed were forced to demolish their own home in the Sur Baher neighborhood after receiving a demolition order in 2014, and it said they were forced to begin demolition on February 12.
Dabash said, "I destroyed it in tears. My tears were flowing. For several days, I couldn't even eat. I really don't know where we're going," while Franceinfo reported that a resident in Silwan said Israel gave him "twenty-one days to demolish my house" to avoid a fine.
