Systematic Escalation in Demolition Operations in Jerusalem for the Benefit of Judaization Plans

SadaNews - The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the Israeli occupation authorities continue their systematic escalation in demolition and forced displacement policies against our people in occupied Jerusalem, as part of a comprehensive settlement plan aimed at Judaizing the city and altering its Arab, Islamic, and Christian character.

It added that the so-called "Nature Authority" of the occupation set fire to a residential "shack" belonging to citizen Muhammad Hasan Al-Huthalil in the Al-Montar wilderness east of the town of Al-Sawahreh, as part of efforts to empty the area of its Bedouin residents to serve the settlement annexation project known as "E1".

It further stated that the occupation municipality forced the Jerusalemite citizen Maher Al-Salaymeh to demolish his house himself in the Wadi Qaddum neighborhood of Silwan, which covers an area of 140 square meters and houses 7 individuals, in a scene that repeats the daily tragedy of Palestinians in the face of the occupation's tyranny.

Additionally, the occupation municipality issued a new demolition order against the citizen Ghaleb Dena, targeting a salon and café in the same neighborhood. It is worth noting that he was forced about 45 days ago to carry out a self-demolition of part of his establishment to avoid penalties, as part of the occupation's implementation of street expansion projects for settlements.

In a tragic development, the Al-Salaymeh family began emptying their home yesterday morning in preparation for self-demolition, in an attempt to avoid paying hefty fines imposed on them, despite the fact that the house has been standing for more than 35 years.

The Jerusalem Governorate stated that the occupation authorities have demolished more than 630 residential, commercial, or agricultural structures since October 7, 2023, while the demolition toll during the first half of 2025 alone reached about 190 structures, in an unprecedented escalation that falls within a well-structured plan aimed at expanding the boundaries of the occupation municipality and annexing the surrounding settlement blocs.

The Governorate warned that these policies serve the settler colonial project known as "Greater Jerusalem", which seeks to separate the city from its Palestinian surroundings and impose new demographic and geographic realities on the ground, through the creation of a network of settlement roads to connect the colonies, especially in the area extending east of Jerusalem to the Jordan Valley, in an attempt to uproot Bedouin communities, with the Khan al-Ahmar community at the forefront.

The Jerusalem Governorate renews its warning against the intentions of the occupation authorities to bring the Khan al-Ahmar file back to the forefront and seek to demolish the entire community and displace its residents, in a dangerous step that paves the way for complete control over the eastern area of the city and linking the "Ma'ale Adumim" settlement with the other settlements inside the West Bank, as they allowed a few months ago to establish a new outpost on the hill opposite the Khan al-Ahmar community, which warns of renewed settler intentions to seize the community and displace its residents.

The Jerusalem Governorate calls on the international community and humanitarian and rights organizations to assume their legal and moral responsibilities in stopping demolition and forced displacement policies, which rise to the level of war crimes under international law.