The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem said that Ahmed Hijazi razed his house in the Ain al-Luza neighborhood in Silwan and Muhammad Abu Hussein demolished his commercial shop, a restaurant, in Jabal al-Mukaber. 

The ZOA gave the two citizens until Monday morning to carry out the demolition, or else it will demolish it with its bulldozers and charge them to pay the demolition fee, which is estimated at 100-150 thousand shekels.

Hijazi has been living with his family in the house since 2014. He said: “I restored the house to live in it and after three years the Israeli municipality imposed a building violation against me worth 25,000 shekels.”

During this period, he tried to get a license for the house but the ZOA issued a decision to demolish it. Hijazi tried to appeal to the Magistrate and Central Court but to no avail.

For his part, Abu Hussein pointed out that the shop has existed for 20 years. The occupation municipality issued a decision three years ago to demolish it and imposed a financial violation on it but he was able to freeze the demolition during the past years, until the beginning of March 2021.

He added that the ZOA had also forced him about four months ago to demolish his house in the village. (ILKHA)