After a losing legal battle that lasted 15 years, the Israeli occupation forced the Jerusalemite Abdul Alian to demolish his own house located in the Katamon neighborhood in the western part of the occupied city of Jerusalem.
Alian says that he inherited his land, estimated at about 4,000 square meters, from his father, who inherited it from his grandfathers in 1955. He registered it with Israeli institutions with official documents and paid the taxes on it.
He added that the house was built on the land about two and a half decades ago, but the occupation began to pursue it 15 years ago until it forced him to demolish it and left his five family members searching for alternative shelter.
Alyan adds that his family has owned the land for hundreds of years, and after the Nakba in 1948, the occupation seized it, but after the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, “the racism of the occupation began to appear clearly.”
The demolished house is one of the last inhabited Palestinian homes in the settlement-encircled Katamon neighborhood. “They don’t want Arabs among them,” said Alian.
Jerusalemites are forced to demolish their homes themselves to avoid heavy fines imposed on them if the occupation forces carry out the demolition.
According to data from the Jerusalem Governorate, 307 demolitions have been carried out in Jerusalem since the occupation escalated its measures in the city, coinciding with the start of its devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.