The Jerusalem Governorate has issued a stark warning over Israel’s ongoing campaign of forced displacement and home demolitions in occupied Jerusalem, a campaign it says is aimed at reshaping the city’s identity and erasing its Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and Christian character.

In its latest statement, the Governorate reported that Israeli authorities, under the guise of the so-called “Nature Authority”, deliberately set fire to a Palestinian family's residential shack in the Al-Mintar area east of Al-Sawahira. This act, targeting the property of Mohammad Hassan Al-Hathalil, is part of Israel’s broader strategy to forcibly displace Bedouin communities in favour of the E1 settlement expansion project.

In Silwan’s Wadi Qaddoum neighbourhood, Palestinian resident Maher Al-Salaymeh was forced to demolish his own home, a 140-square-metre shelter for seven family members, under the threat of hefty Israeli fines. Meanwhile, Ghaleb Danna, a local business owner, faces yet another demolition order against his salon and café, just weeks after being coerced into partially demolishing the premises himself.

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli occupation forces have demolished more than 630 Palestinian structures in Jerusalem, including homes, shops, and farms. At least 190 of those demolitions have occurred in the first half of 2025 alone, marking a dangerous escalation in what the Governorate describes as a systematic attempt to expand the boundaries of the occupation municipality and entrench illegal settlements.

The Governorate highlighted that these measures directly support the “Greater Jerusalem” plan, a demographic and geographic transformation scheme that includes settler road networks and aims to sever Jerusalem from its Palestinian hinterland. Central to this plan is the dismantling of Bedouin communities such as Khan al-Ahmar, which now faces imminent demolition and expulsion.

Authorities also flagged the alarming establishment of a new settler outpost opposite Khan al-Ahmar,  a move signalling renewed efforts to seize the area and forcibly remove its residents.

The Governorate urged the international community and human rights organisations to urgently intervene and halt Israel’s continued violations of international law, warning that these policies amount to war crimes that are rapidly reshaping the future of Jerusalem and the lives of its indigenous population.