House Demolitions in East Jerusalem 2000 - 2010

Editor: Meir Margalit

Publisher: IPCC Jerusalem, 2014

House demolition is one of the most horrifying realities experienced by East Jerusalem Palestinians. Nothing can be more devastating for a family than losing its home, and with a third of the houses in East Jerusalem having been built without a permit, tens of thousands of residents live in fear of having their homes demolished. House demolition entails much more than the destruction of a physical structure. Years of savings go down the drain, personal property is damaged, and dignity trampled. The family may become dependent on charity, and the traumatic experience will follow the children for the rest of their lives.

This study focuses on the practice of house demolition in East Jerusalem, but it also deals with a much broader topic: control over space and its distribution by the state of Israel. Israeli policies implemented in Jerusalem are only a part of a nationwide effort to consolidate the hegemony of the Jewish majority and reduce the Palestinian presence by preventing them from building on their own land.