Palestinian family forced to self-demolish own home in Negev desert, citing unlicensed construction

Israeli authorities displace a Palestinian family after forcing it to demolish their home in the Negev desert under the pretext of lacking a construction permit, amid ongoing land grab policies by the Tel Aviv regime.

The Palestinian Information Center, citing local sources, reported that Israeli troops raided the Rahat City, surrounding a house owned by Abu Ghanem on Wednesday.

The sources said that Israeli forces stormed the area where the house was located and gave the family 10 minutes to evacuate and start demolishing it.

Witnesses and local residents said the family of Abu Ghanem had to knock down its home, which had been built 17 years ago.

Abu Ghanem had no choice but to do so in order to avoid paying exorbitant fees to the municipality in the event that its crews carried out the demolition on their own.

Had he not demolished the house himself, the sources said, the Israeli municipality would have charged him to have the building pulled down.

The residents across the Negev region live in a constant state of fear due to the fact that Israeli troops may raid and raze their homes at any moment after they build them again.

OCHA: Punitive demolition of Palestinian homes collective punishment, illegal under intl. law

The UN says the Israeli regime has razed down eight Palestinian homes so far this year, calling the practice “collective punishment” and illegal.

Rights groups accuse Tel Aviv of pursuing a policy of transferring the indigenous Palestinian population from the Negev region to other areas in a bid to make room for the expansion of illegal settlements.

Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds. The regime argues that the homes were built without a permit.

However, the Israeli regime rarely, if ever, approves such permits for Palestinians. The Israeli forces also sometimes order Palestinian owners to demolish their own homes or pay the costs of the demolition.

Israel expands demolition of Palestinian homes in West Bank: Report

The demolition is part of the new cabinet’s broader battle for control of east al-Quds.

The demolition of Palestinian homes across the occupied territories has increased since an extreme far-right administration led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office.

Palestinians regard ministers of the new cabinet, especially Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as racist and fascist for publicly advocating the expulsion of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes, supporting Israeli extremist groups repeatedly attacking Palestinians, and stirring incitement to racism against Arabs and non-Jews.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in about 280 settlements built across the occupied West Bank since Tel Aviv’s occupation of the territory in 1967.

The international community regards the settlements as illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions given that they have been constructed on occupied land.

The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.

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