Demolitions in the Jerusalem area, December 2022: Israeli authorities demolish 36 structures; 24 Palestinians, including 14 minors, lose their homes

On Jerusalem Municipality and Ministry of Interior orders, 36 structures belonging to Palestinians were demolished throughout December 2022 in East Jerusalem and in adjacent areas lying within the al-Quds District of the Palestinian Authority.

Five of the structures were homes, all demolished by their own owners on the authorities’ instructions. Three of the homes were occupied, and the demolition left 14 people, including eight minors, homeless. Two additional homes were under construction and designed to house two families numbering 10 people in total, including six minors.

Parts of another structure were demolished by its owner, and the municipality completed the demolition on 4 January 2023.

In addition to all these, 26 non-residential buildings were demolished by the authorities and another by the owners. Thirteen of the structures supported the livelihoods of 35 people, and another structure under construction was designed to support the livelihood of a family of five. Additionally, an agricultural terrace and three fences surrounding plots of land were also demolished.

Demolitions

On Thursday, 1 December 2022, at around 4:30 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with a military escort and a bulldozer at the town of Qalandiya in al-Quds District. The forces demolished a shack used to store iron rods for construction that supported the livelihoods of a family of five, including three minors, as well as four laborers and their families. The forces also demolished a tin structure and break room that were part of a car wash that had not begun operations yet. They destroyed three water tanks and a water pump at the site and leveled the land on which the car was wash built. The facility was designed to support the livelihood of a family of five, including three minors.

On Sunday, 4 December 2022, following an order issued by the Ministry of Interior, a family of five, including three minors, was forced to demolish its home, still under construction, in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabber.

On Wednesday, 7 December 2022, at around 6:30 A.M., Jerusalem Municipality personnel arrived with a Border Police escort and a bulldozer at the neighborhood of ‘Ein al-Jawizeh, located in the part of the village of al-Walajah that was annexed to Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries. The forces demolished an agricultural terrace and a concrete fence surrounding an agricultural plot owned by a family.

That same day, at around 7:00 A.M., following an order issued by the Ministry of Interior, Jerusalem Municipality personnel arrived with a Border Police escort at the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina and demolished six structures made of stone and tin and one made of plastic that were used as livestock enclosures. The enclosures supported the livelihood of a family of seven.

On Saturday, 10 December 2022, following an order issued by the Jerusalem Municipality, a resident of the neighborhood of al-Bustan in Silwan, East Jerusalem, was forced to demolish a fence and a shed he had erected to replace a shed demolished by the municipality about 10 years earlier.

On Monday, 12 December 2022, following an order issued by the Ministry of Interior, a family of five, including three minors, was forced to demolish its home, still under construction, in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-'Esawiyah.

On Tuesday, 13 December 2022, at around 4:30 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with a military escort and a bulldozer at the town of al-Jib in al-Quds District and demolished an agricultural shack and an outhouse owned by one family. The forces also demolished a car repair shop that supported the livelihood of a family of eight, including six minors, and a fence that surrounded the land on which it was built, an agricultural shack owned by three partners, and an agricultural structure and the fence surrounding the land on which it was built, which is owned by another family.

On Thursday, 15 December 2022, at around 11:00 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with a military escort and a bulldozer at the town of a-Za’ayem in al-Quds District and demolished two livestock enclosures that supported the livelihood of an East Jerusalem family of five. The forces also demolished a storage room and break room owned by a family from al-'Esawiyah.

On Saturday, 17 December 2022, following an order issued by the Jerusalem Municipality, a family of five, including three minors, was forced to demolish its home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabber. The family was left homeless.

On Tuesday, 20 December 2022, at around 8:00 A.M., Jerusalem Municipality personnel arrived with an Israel Police escort at the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. The forces dismantled and confiscated a tin structure used as a grocery store and stairs leading to it from the road. The store supported the livelihood of a family of five.

About two hours later, the forces arrived at the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-’Amud and completed the demolition of a house the family had begun demolishing about a month earlier following an order issued by the Jerusalem Municipality.

On Thursday, 27 December 2022, at around 11:30 A.M., Civil Administration personnel arrived with a military escort and a bulldozer at the village of a-Sawahrah a-Sharqiyah in al-Quds District and demolished a livestock enclosure that supported the livelihood of a family of five and two agricultural storage sheds owned by two other families.

On Saturday, 31 December 2022, two families from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz, numbering nine people in total, including five minors, were forced to demolish the two-story building housing their apartments. The two families were left homeless.

That same day, a resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan was forced to start demolishing an empty building he owned. On 4 January 2023, Jerusalem Municipality personnel arrived and completed the demolition.