Jerusalem’s ‘self-demolition’ crisis: Palestinians forced to tear down their own homes

This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent ArabiaFour years after Israeli authorities demolished the home of Wael Al-Tahan in Jerusalem, he was forced to tear down his second home. This time, however, he had to do it with his own hands. Wael’s home has become part of a growing phenomenon in Jerusalem. Around 150 Palestinian homes have been destroyed since the start of this year on the orders of Israeli courts, 23 of these were “self-demolitions”.Palestinians compare having to demolish their own homes to “gouging their own eyes out”, but those who made the choice to self-demolish say they did so to avoid paying exorbitant sums to Israeli authorities to carry out the demolition.Speaking to Independent Arabia, Wael Al-Tahan said that he demolished his home in Ras al-Amud, a Palestinian neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, himself after reaching a “dead end” with the Jerusalem municipality. He wanted to avoid paying the over $30,000 (£23,700) fee that Israeli authorities charge to carry out the demolition, having already paid them over $40,000 (£31,600) in fines in recent years for “building without a permit”.“The Israeli authorities demolished my first home in Ras al-Amud four years ago which had stood for 30 years, on the grounds that it was built without a permit,” he said.According to Al-Tahan, “all I had left after that was a small flat, and today I was forced to demolish it myself because they will not leave us in peace.”Palestinian Mohammed Odeh demolishes his own home in Jerusalem following an Israeli demolition order (Independent Arabia)Prolonged legal battlesThese demolitions come after prolonged legal battles between Palestinians and the Jerusalem municipality, most of which end with a final ruling by Israeli courts ordering the homes to be demolished, leaving residents with the choice of carrying out the demolition themselves or paying Israeli authorities to do so.At the heart of these disputes is the issue of construction without a permit from the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality, in a context where obtaining such permits is extremely difficult – often to the point of impossibility – particularly in what is referred to as the city’s “Holy Basin”.Structural plans for Jerusalem, drawn up by the Israeli municipality, show that only 14 per cent of the city’s land is allocated for development in Palestinian neighbourhoods, with the remainder designated as green zones.“The closest point between earth and heaven”In the Al-Bustan neighbourhood, not far from Ras al-Amud, Palestinian resident Mohammed Odeh was forced to demolish his home himself, as well as that of his brother.Odeh explained that the Jerusalem municipality had issued a demolition order for the house as far back as 2009, on the grounds that it stood on a site considered, according to Jewish beliefs, to be “the closest point between earth and heaven”.According to Mohammed, he “paid a fine of $70,000 (£55,300) for building without a permit, before being forced to demolish his home himself today to avoid paying exorbitant sums to the Israeli authorities”.He added that his family and his brother’s family have been living with relatives since evacuating their homes, until they can find a flat to reside in within Jerusalem – a city he insists he will remain in “even if under a tree”.Around 150 Palestinian homes have been destroyed since the start of this year on the orders of Israeli courts, 23 of these were “self-demolitions” (AFP/Getty)While Independent Arabia was speaking to Odeh, his neighbour, Mohammed Qweider, was also busy demolishing his own home to avoid the high costs of enforced demolition.Qweider noted that his family holds documents proving ownership of their plot of land in the Al-Bustan neighbourhood dating back to the 17th century, where his family owns more than 20 homes.“Billed for the guard dogs”During the first three months of this year alone, Israeli authorities demolished more than 147 homes in Jerusalem, 23 of them through self-demolition by their owners, according to the legal adviser to the Governorate of Jerusalem, Marouf al-Rifai. He pointed to an “unprecedented increase in demolition operations”, noting that since the beginning of the month alone, more than 10 homes have been demolished.In 2025 alone, Israel demolished 367 homes in Jerusalem, while over the past five years the number has risen to more than 1,200 homes, on the grounds of “construction without permits”, according to al-Rifai.Regarding self-demolition, al-Rifai said Israel “prefers this option because it can avoid being seen storming Palestinian homes in front of the world”.He added that Palestinians who don't opt to self-demolish are charged “the cost of bulldozers, Israeli security forces, ambulances, civil defence vehicles, and even dogs used for guard duty”.Al-Rifai further stated that “Israel is forcing Palestinians to work for years in order to pay the cost of demolishing their homes, which varies depending on the size of the demolished property”.Translated by Dalia Mohamed; Reviewed by Tooba Khokhar and Celine Assaf