Occupation Distributes 40 Demolition and Construction Halt Notices in Wadi al-Humus in Jerusalem

SadaNews - Israeli occupation authorities distributed 40 demolition and construction halt notices in the Wadi al-Humus neighborhood southeast of Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate stated in a statement issued today, Thursday, that the occupation distributed these notices over two days, representing a serious and deliberate escalation that falls within a systematic policy to uproot Jerusalemites from their land.

It clarified that the occupation handed over 30 demolition notices yesterday for buildings located outside the separation wall, even though they are within areas classified as (A) and have official Palestinian licenses. Additionally, today, four demolition notices were distributed inside the wall in areas (A) and (B), along with six notices halting work in areas (C).

The governorate confirmed that this escalation occurs within the context of the occupation's control over vital spaces in Wadi al-Humus, which spans 4,500 dunams, of which the occupation has seized 2,000 dunams inside the wall, while the remaining areas have not come under direct control. The occupation imposed a strip 250 meters deep on both sides of the wall, describing it as a "buffer zone," using it as a pretext for issuing notices and legitimizing the demolition of Palestinian homes. The occupation relies on a military order issued in 2011, which was reactivated in 2015, providing a false legal cover for successive waves of demolition and eviction.

The Jerusalem Governorate emphasized that the demolition policy practiced by the occupation against Jerusalemites is not an individual action but part of a systematic colonial plan. While the occupation facilitates and builds thousands of colonial units on Palestinian lands, providing them with infrastructure and projects, it prevents Jerusalemites from obtaining building permits, demolishes their homes, and halts their projects. The governorate considers these practices crimes of war and crimes against humanity punishable under international law, representing the most horrific forms of colonial discrimination that destroy the lives of Jerusalemites, undermine their economy, and obliterate the future of their children in the city.

The governorate added that the international community's reliance on formal condemnations of demolition and displacement crimes constitutes real complicity with the occupation, as Israel—the occupying power—disregards these meek positions and assigns them no weight.

It expressed concern over the continued Israeli government's intensification of the demolition of Palestinian homes and facilities in an attempt to obliterate the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, turning it into a strategic depth for settlement, in the most abhorrent forms of ethnic cleansing being practiced daily and increasingly. It pointed out that these widespread operations have resulted in the displacement of thousands of Jerusalemites, including children, women, the elderly, and the sick, in a blatant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law.

The Jerusalem Governorate concluded its statement by renewing its call to the international community, the United Nations, international courts, and the states party to the Geneva Conventions, to bear their legal and moral responsibilities, to halt the crimes of demolition and displacement, to hold the occupying state accountable for its systematic colonial policies, and to ensure the protection of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and all occupied Palestinian territories.