5 Houses Demolished in the Town in 24 Hours: Self-Demolition of Three Houses for One Family in Musherifa

SadaNews - Zaki Ighbaria from the village of Musherifa demolished three houses belonging to him and his family members late Tuesday to Wednesday on his own to avoid hefty financial fines, after a decision from the Central Court in Haifa ordered the demolition of the house.

The mentioned houses were built within one structure consisting of three floors, where Zaki Ighbaria and his two sons have lived for decades before the land was confiscated. The court issued a decision to demolish the houses on Tuesday, citing the construction without a permit.

Young Ahmad Zaki Ighbaria said, "The court rejected the appeal we submitted to prevent the demolition of our homes, and we were forced to demolish them ourselves to avoid the hefty financial fines that Israeli authorities might impose on us if they carried out the demolition."

He added, "We demolished our houses less than 24 hours after my relatives' homes were also demolished by a court order. Our homes have been built since 1976 and are home to more than 12 people, including my brother's family and my parents' house, and all our homes are connected to the electricity and sewage networks, but the authorities insisted on demolishing them."

Ighbaria concluded his remarks by saying, "We hope that Arab leaders will unite and try to prevent the demolition of threatened homes, as there are thousands of homes at risk of demolition in our community, so it is necessary for the leaders to unite."

These three houses add to two other houses that were self-demolished within 24 hours in the village of Musherifa following court decisions.

This was preceded by the demolition of two houses late Monday to Tuesday, in order to avoid imposing significant financial fines by the local planning and building authorities if the demolition was carried out using the Israeli authorities' machinery and bulldozers under the pretext of unauthorized construction.

In this context, the demolition operations, including "self-demolition," in Arab towns within Israel fall within a broader context of a chronic planning and structural crisis. For decades, these towns have suffered from a severe shortage of approved structural plans and limited building areas designated for natural expansion, which drives thousands of families to build without official licenses as an almost sole option for securing housing.

In contrast, the planning and building authorities tighten their regulatory procedures and issue demolition orders and high financial fines for unlicensed houses. In light of the costs of official demolition, which may include bulldozer fees and accompanying forces in addition to fines, many homeowners are forced to carry out self-demolition to minimize financial losses.

This phenomenon has worsened in recent years with the tightening of law enforcement, particularly after legal amendments that enhanced enforcement powers and raised fine amounts. Specialists and activists believe that the problem is not limited to individual violations but reflects a deep gap in planning policies and providing suitable housing solutions for the Arab community, in contrast to the slow procedures for approving plans and expanding areas of influence.

Source: Arabs 48