Umm al-Fahm: A Protest Vigil Against House Demolition Orders

SadaNews - A group of residents from the city of Umm al-Fahm participated in a protest vigil yesterday, Monday, in front of the Umm al-Fahm Police Station in the Al-Zuhar area, in protest against the demolition orders in the city, including the immediate demolition order issued regarding the house of the head of the Committee for the Defense of the Rights of Displaced Individuals, engineer Suleiman Fahmawi.

The vigil was organized by the popular committee in Umm al-Fahm, amidst an increase in demolition orders in the city, while a protest tent will be set up today in front of the threatened house in the Swaisah area of the city.

The participants in the vigil raised banners with slogans calling for a halt to the demolition orders and operations in the Arab community, and in the city of Umm al-Fahm.

Some of the banners read: "No to the demolition policy in Arab towns," "Stop demolishing Arab citizens' houses," "Our unity is our strength," and "It is our right to build and advance. ”

The police notified Suleiman Fahmawi yesterday, Sunday, about the immediate demolition order, while it is expected that Israeli demolition machinery will demolish the house at any moment.

The popular committee in the city has approved a series of protest steps, including setting up a protest tent in front of the threatened house, the protest vigil organized in front of the police station, and pressure from the local authority in an attempt to prevent the implementation of the demolition orders.

Engineer Suleiman Fahmawi, head of the Committee for the Defense of the Rights of the Displaced, stated that "the house was built in 2013 and contains several residential apartments and commercial shops. It is in an area that has more than 400 houses and buildings, all of which have been fined enormous amounts for allegedly building without a permit."

He added: "I have been fined about 200,000 shekels, and despite that, I received an additional demolition order from the district committee for planning and construction in Haifa."

"Political Demolition"

He mentioned that "the police came yesterday and informed us of the demolition orders for the building. We don’t know when the demolition order will be executed, but it is expected to happen at any moment."

Fahmawi added: "In my opinion, this demolition is political, and it stems from our ongoing political activity for more than 40 years in the Committee for the Defense of the Rights of the Displaced and against land confiscation plans. Therefore, the building was chosen as a means of retaliation against us for our ongoing activity for decades."

He referred to the area where the house is located, which contains dozens of houses, and said that "this area contains dozens of homes, most of them without permits, and their owners have received hefty fines."

He added that "if my house is demolished, it is likely that other houses will be demolished as well, and that is highly possible."