Israeli authorities have demolished 3,917 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem since 1967, Jordan says

LONDON — Israeli authorities have demolished 3,917 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem from June 1967 to October 2026, according to Jordan's Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs, as reported by Arab News on Sunday.

The committee's secretary-general, Abdullah Kanaan, said home demolition is a systematic Israeli practice. He said it is designed to change the demographic and geographical character of the Holy City and to displace its Arab population, according to the Jordan News Agency.

Kanaan also said Israel is committing a grave violation of basic human rights by forcing Palestinian homeowners to demolish their own residences. He said this is done to avoid prohibitive administrative fines. According to Kanaan, dozens of families in Silwan, a neighborhood south of the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, face an imminent threat of eviction.

He called for international action to hold Israeli authorities accountable, halt forced evictions and protect Jerusalemites. He also urged the enforcement of international resolutions.

"Jerusalem is not merely a real estate dispute or an architectural file; it is a core national, historical, and civilizational issue bound to the Palestinian people's right to their land, sanctities, and national identity," Kanaan said.

Kanaan also affirmed Jordan's role in preserving the legal status quo of Jerusalem's Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The report relies on a single source. The Arab News account does not include a response from Israeli authorities, and it does not give an independent count of the demolitions.

Background

East Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in 1967. Israel later annexed the area, a move not recognised by most of the international community. The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Demolition orders and evictions in the area have long been a source of dispute.