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Jerusalemites forced to destroy own homes

Some hapless Palestinian builders in Jerusalem are demolishing their own unpermitted homes to avoid paying the enormous demolition costs charged by the Israeli authorities.
Palestinians stand on the razed home of a Palestinian militant in Jabel Mukaber, in an area of the West Bank that Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed to the city of Jerusalem, October 6, 2015. Israeli forces destroyed the homes of two Palestinian militants and sealed off part of a third in Jerusalem on Tuesday, in a crackdown launched by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after four Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks. The Israeli military said in a statement it had demolished the family home o
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital has started casting its shadow over the city. Israel is expected to act in accordance with this announcement by accelerating its settlement construction and demolishing Jerusalemites’ houses. It could make it even harder for Palestinians to obtain construction permits.

Jamal Amr Abu Tair, from Umm Tuba, southeast of Jerusalem, spent the evening of Nov. 25 demolishing a house he owns and had been renovating for two years. He caved to pressure by the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem and took action to avoid the huge fees ranging between $15,000 and $20,000 that are incurred when the municipality destroys houses built without permits.

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