At ~8:00 A.M. today (Wed., 15 August 2018), Jerusalem Municipality
personnel came with Border Police and a bulldozer to al-‘Esawiyah and
demolished a duplex under construction. The 240-sqm house was meant for a
family of six, including a 12-year-old. By not drawing up detailed
urban building plans, which are key to issuing building permits, for the
Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, the municipality leaves
residents no choice but to overcome the dearth of homes, public
buildings, infrastructure and trade and recreation services by building
without permits.