Several years ago, the Palestinian activist, Fakhri Abu Diab, paid an exorbitant fine imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities, amounting to 100,000 shekels, for allegedly building without a permit.
On the morning of last Thursday, Abu Diab, an activist in Jerusalem affairs and whose origins came from the Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan, woke up to the occupation soldiers' knocking on the door of his house, accompanied by a crew from the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, to deliver him a notice of his home demolition.
The notification of the occupation authorities to demolish Abu Diab's house came less than 24 hours after he revealed excavations are taking place under the eastern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, close to a high hill separating Al-Ain from the foundations of Al-Aqsa and its courtyards.
Abu Diab said that threatening to demolish his home comes within the targeting of Al-Bustan neighborhood, which is threatened with demolishing all 88 housing units in it, with the aim of displacing 1650 Palestinians, 63% of whom are children, to establish a biblical garden for the settlers.
Abu Diab considered that his targeting is part of the occupation’s efforts to obscure the truth and prevent those who expose their criminal practices against the Palestinian people and Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as many human rights and even official institutions.
He explains that he submitted an objection request to the Occupation Court, despite knowing that his judiciary is "unfair" and does not implement anything other than what the occupation authorities ask of him.
He pointed out that 24 hours after receiving the order to demolish the house, the decision becomes effective, as the bulldozers of the occupation may demolish the house at any moment without a previous notice.
According to Abu Diab, the occupation targets the homes of Jerusalemites by not granting them building permits, while it gives the settlers everything they need to create an imbalance in the demographic balance in favor of the settlers.
He added, "We need real support from official and human rights institutions since the occupation measures are in violation of international law, in addition to political support to stabilize our steadfastness and keep us in the region."
He believes that the occupation measures are one of the types of collective punishment against Jerusalemites, in addition to preventing the truth by silencing the activists' voice, stressing that the Israeli judiciary is part of the occupation system.
Since 1948 and until today, the occupation's attempts to displace Palestinians continue. After it succeeded in seizing western Jerusalem, its attempts are still ongoing.
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