While the world's attention is fixed on Gaza, Israel has intensified a quieter but no less devastating campaign in occupied Jerusalem—tearing down homes, flattening neighbourhoods, and forcing Palestinians into self-demolition under threat of heavy fines. More than 90 demolitions have been recorded in the first quarter of 2025 alone, reflecting a systematic effort to erase Palestinian presence from the Holy City.

Entire families have been left homeless, with debris where memories once stood. Residents are forced to pay for the destruction of their own homes or carry it out themselves to avoid exorbitant municipal fees. This is not just urban policy—it is demographic engineering cloaked in legal jargon and bureaucracy designed to fail. Building permits for Palestinians are nearly impossible to obtain, and even attempts to navigate the system can drain families of tens of thousands of dollars without guarantee of success.

As activist Rassem Obeidat explained, these demolitions are part of a broader settler-colonial strategy to Judaise Jerusalem, altering its demographic and religious identity while crushing any Palestinian claim to the city. From Silwan to Issawiya, from Anata to Al-Aqsa’s gates, the demolitions are expanding alongside illegal settlements and land confiscations, targeting the very fabric of Palestinian life.

The timing is no coincidence. With Gaza under bombardment and the West Bank under lockdown, Israel is exploiting the silence of the international community and the paralysis of Arab and Muslim governments. Even during Ramadan, a period once respected for its sanctity, demolitions continued unabated—another sign of escalating disregard for Palestinian humanity.

In Jerusalem, the war takes the form of bulldozers and court orders. The goal is clear: to fragment, isolate, and ultimately displace the city’s Indigenous population. The international community cannot claim ignorance—what is happening is visible, documented, and deliberate.