Ibrahim Mashahra and his family of six have been homeless for over two months now, after he was forced by Israeli authorities to destroy his own house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Al-Mukaber.
The Jerusalem Municipality and National Enforcement Unit had threatened to tear down Mashahra’s home since 2018 for “building without a permit.” In December 2024, he received an official demolition order, giving him just three weeks to vacate or demolish the home himself. To salvage some of his young children’s belongings, Mashahra chose the latter. He was still made to pay fines totalling NIS 54,000 ($14,930).
“I was born here in East Jerusalem, but I don’t have the most basic rights,” he told +972. “The situation here is extremely grim.” ….more
