Palestinians forced by Israel to demolish their own homes Israel-Palestine conflict news

Occupied East Jerusalem – Basema Dabash sheds tears every day for the house she and her husband were forced to demolish during the raid in Sur Baher, south of occupied East Jerusalem.

The couple has lived in fear of losing their home for years since Israeli authorities issued a demolition order in 2014. In January this year, the eviction notice came. And then, on February 12, the family was forced to demolish their home. If they didn’t, they demanded that the municipality pay to demolish the building.

“We started demolishing the house ourselves to avoid the municipal demolition fee, which can reach 100,000 shekels ($32,000),” said Basema, 51. “We started by tearing down the inside of the house and sent the municipality photos to confirm that we had started the demolition, but they insisted that we demolish it from the outside as soon as possible.”

The family soon completed the demolition of two houses that housed eight people, including three children. However, it did not waive the 45,000 shekels ($14,600) fine, which will continue to be paid in installments until 2029.

‘Self-destruction’ haunts Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, which has been controlled by Israel since 1967 and illegally merged with West Jerusalem under an Israeli-run regime.

The choice between self-demolition and paying high fees to the municipality is simple – the majority of Palestinians cannot afford to pay the exorbitant amount and resort to demolishing their own homes despite the immense pain and deep psychological impact.

‘How did we get to this?’

Basema’s troubles began in 2014 when she and her husband received a building violation notice from the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem for the building they shared with their married son Mohammed and his family. He appealed to an Israeli court at the time in an attempt to freeze the demolition order.

For more than a decade, the family was forced to pay the accumulated fines in an attempt to keep their home. Then on January 28, they got an eviction notice and gave a deadline to vacate the house.

The house slated for demolition is 45 square meters (485 sq ft), an extension Basema added to his existing 45-square-metre home. She had built a residence of the same size for her married son on the extension. The demolition order targeted both the extension and her son’s residence.

The Dabash family tried several times to get a building permit for the house, but Israel rejected their requests. Despite this, the municipality fines Palestinians and demolishes their homes under the pretext of lacking permits.

“We decided to demolish our own house to avoid fines, but the municipal staff showed no mercy to anything around the house and deliberately vandalized the entire area under the pretext of demolition, breaking trees and extensive damage that we could have done without,” Basema said.

Basema, along with her husband and her one son, Abdelaziz, now live in what is left of their house. Mohammed has also moved in with them, his wife and children live in their family home. The demolition has scattered her son’s family, who are unable to find even a small house to rent because of the high cost of housing.

The family incurred significant costs to remove the debris and redesign the old part of the house to accommodate everyone, not to mention the devastating psychological toll.

“I am standing to wash the dishes and my tears are falling on their own, how did we come? Why are we being subjected to this injustice? The house is cramped and does not suit us. My grandchildren visit us and then when they go to their grandfather’s house they cry bitterly when they go to their grandfather’s house saying we have no space,” Basema lamented.

Increased demolitions

As illegal Israeli settlements continue to expand in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, where building permits are easily obtained, Palestinians say the double standard is clear.

Human Rights Watch found that Israeli authorities made it “virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits”, and the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem said planning policies in East Jerusalem “made it extremely difficult for residents to obtain building permits”.

15 self-demolitions were carried out last February, five in January and 104 in December, Palestinian Authority Jerusalem Governorate spokesman Marouf al-Rifai told Al Jazeera.

In general, demolitions rose to unprecedented levels after October 2023 when Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began. Al-Rifai said that in 2025, 400 demolitions were carried out by municipal staff or homeowners in East Jerusalem and its surroundings. Prior to that, the number of demolitions had reached a maximum of 180 per year.

The United Nations reports that 1,500 Palestinians will be displaced in 2025.

“The method of demolition also changed after the war on Gaza,” Al-Rifa’i said. “In the past, demolitions were carried out only after all legal avenues were exhausted and residents appealed to the courts and the demolitions were halted.”

But Israeli officials have taken a more punitive stance, influenced by right-wing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who began forcing Israeli army bulldozers to demolish without notifying homeowners, Al-Rifai said.

In addition, a Palestinian Authority official said demolition notices for Palestinian homes in Jerusalem have increased from 25,000 to 35,000 before the war. The town of Sylvan alone has received 7,000 demolition notices since 1967.

Fakhri Abu Diab, a member of the Al-Bastan neighborhood defense committee in East Jerusalem, told Al Jazeera that the self-demolition is a double punishment and pain for the home owners after the effort and hardship involved in building the house.

“Israel’s goal is to break the morale of Palestinians and brainwash them into tools to implement its plans to demolish homes. When we demolish our own homes, it’s like demolishing a part of our body,” he explained.

Israel can demolish a limited number of Palestinian homes annually due to logistical, financial, budgetary and logistical constraints. Demolition by Palestinians multiplies the number of demolished houses, thus turning the victim into a “demolition contractor” as he puts it.

“I refused to demolish my house myself because of the negative consequences that I and my family would have to live with for the rest of our lives, and the Israeli bulldozers demolished it. If I had done it myself, it would remain a nightmare that haunts me.”

There is no alternative

But a demolition carried out by Israeli municipal workers costs between 80,000 and 120,000 shekels ($26,000-$39,000).

Saqr Qunbur was unable to pay it and was instead forced to demolish his 100-square-metre (1,076 sq ft) house in Jabal al-Mukabbar on December 26 under the pretext of lacking a permit. It was built in 2013 and immediately a building violation notice was issued.

Saqr told Al Jazeera that he lives at home with his wife and four-year-old child. Since the house was built, he has received a total of 80,000 shekels ($26,000) in fines, which he is still paying even though his house has been demolished.

Sakar had nowhere to live after his house was forced to demolish, so his neighbors gave him a dilapidated room to live in and they found a place to rent.

“My son is suffering mentally since we demolished the house. Every day he asks me why I demolished it, and I don’t know what to tell him. I tell him that I can build him a better house, but deep down I know, I won’t even be able to rent a suitable place,” she explained sadly.

Saqr decided to demolish his house after an Israeli official threatened him, saying, “Tear it down, or I’ll knock it down on your head”. They wanted to avoid the humiliation associated with demolitions by Israel, where police sometimes fire live ammunition and tear gas at family members and carry out assaults, as human rights groups have documented.

“I developed diabetes and high blood pressure after my house was demolished. Doctors said it was because of anger and grief. It’s an occupation that wants to drive us out of our land and we want to stay,” he concluded.