After 11 years, the Israeli authorities have transformed the dreams of Alyyan family to live in safety and stability inside their homes in Al-Issawiya town, northeast of Jerusalem, into a nightmare and a mirage after they completely demolished them, leaving 20 people homeless and without shelter to protect them from the bitter cold of winter.

Alyan family lived bitter moments mixed with tears of pain and oppression during the bulldozers of the Israeli municipality demolishing their four homes in Al-Issawiya, turning them into a pile of stones and wood within an hour and a half.

Pain and oppression

With grief and sorrow, the Jerusalemite, Ali Elyan, 74, told Safa "We used to live comfortably in our homes with our families, but Israel wants to take revenge on us in any way and expel us from our land and our homeland."

"The main goal is to break our determination and strength, because my son Fadi works in Al-Aqsa Mosque and they prevented him from entering it for several months and the bulldozers of the Israeli municipality demolished our homes by an order of the intelligence, believing that they would strike him at the core,” said Ali.

The decision to demolish the building is hundred percent political, because the Israeli intelligence came to the house and photographed it before the family received any demolition warnings from the Israeli municipality.

Alyyan added, "When I saw the intelligence services photographing the building, I asked them about the reason and I talked to them that this matter concerns the Israeli municipality employees, at that time they said, " You are causing problems".

He continues, "On the second day, the municipality suspended the demolition order, but we did not give up and we took all measures to license the building, and I entered this area with the new master plan."

Two years ago, the Israeli municipality imposed a building violation of 180,000 Israeli shekels on the family, and it continues to pay 3,000 Israeli shekels, monthly.

Alyyan points out that the family was surprised by the Israeli municipality’s decision to demolish the building upon being informed by the headmen of Al-Issawiya, because “the mayor had previously informed the village headman that they would not demolish homes in the town.”

To stop the demolition decision, the family’s lawyer last Sunday submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel, but the judge refused and yesterday the Israeli forces came with bulldozers and began to demolish the building.

However, despite the family taking all legal measures, the Israeli municipality insisted on demolishing their two-story house, measuring 370 square meters, belonging to him and his three children, Murad, Fadi, Mohammad, and their families.

Historical right

Alyyan asserts that despite the demolition of their homes, they are rooted in their land. “This is the land of our forefathers and we live in it because it is our historical right. Neither Israel nor anything else takes us from our land until we die in it. Israel occupied our lands, and we are here before them.”

He added, "We defend Al-Aqsa Mosque with our most valuable possession. I worked in it for 20 years, but Israel is a racist occupation state, lacking human rights, and wants a land without people, so they demolish the homes of residents and displace them."

And he continues, saying: "We are old enough to not be able to start our lives again, there is no mercy, compassion, humanity, human rights, or democracy in the occupation."

Despite the cold weather, the family erected a tent over the rubble of their house, which was demolished by the Israeli bulldozers, under the pretext of lacking of permit.

During the demolition process, the Israeli forces attacked Alyyan family by beating them and firing sound bombs and rubber bullets at them, which resulted in the injury of a member of the Follow-up Committee in Al-Issawiya with a rubber bullet in the abdomen and the ambulance took him to the hospital for treatment.

After the demolition process ended and the forces withdrew from the site, they stormed the site again and confiscated the Palestinian flags that were hung on the rubble of the building.

Youth groups in the town of Al-Issawiya launched a campaign of financial donations in favor of rebuilding the building of the Alyyan family. Besides, the campaign appealed to the townspeople and residents of the need to stand with the family about their plight to assist them.