On Tuesday this week, a joint team from the Israel Land Enforcement Authority, the Jerusalem Municipality, Israel Police and Border Police demolished a multi-story building that had been constructed without a permit in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of At-Tur. The building, owned by Mustafa Abu Sbeitan, consisted of five floors and ten apartments housing dozens of residents. The demolition was carried out under a final court order, following years of legal proceedings, using municipal engineering equipment. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was present at the scene and stated: “I came to make sure governance is being enforced.”
The first demolition orders were issued back in 2022. The residents petitioned the courts and obtained a temporary freeze on the demolition, while paying significant fines and attempting to obtain a building permit. Those efforts were unsuccessful, and the structure remained without a permit. The legal proceedings have now been exhausted, and the Supreme Court issued a final and binding decision.
On the day before the demolition, residents were notified that they were required to evacuate the building immediately. According to Palestinian reports, heavy engineering equipment, accompanied by reinforced security forces, arrived at a very early hour and began evacuating the families from the building – 70 people, including women and children. The evacuation was completed toward dawn, after which the demolition began. Palestinian reports claimed that the evacuation was carried out by force and in haste, without allowing residents to remove their belongings, but this version was not confirmed by enforcement authorities, and no significant clashes were reported.
What is behind the demolition of the building in At-Tur, Jerusalem?
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who as noted was present at the scene, posted on his X account: “I arrived this morning together with the bulldozers of governance in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of At-Tur, to make sure on the ground that my policy is being implemented. A multi-story building constructed in violation of the law was demolished, and the land returned to the State of Israel. The bulldozers of governance do not rest for a moment, and this morning in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of At-Tur! This is the only way it works!” According to him, more than 10,000 illegal structures have been demolished over the past year and a half.
In terms of its height, this was one of the tallest buildings demolished in Jerusalem in recent years. In December 2025, a four-story building containing 13 apartments was demolished in Silwan and was described at the time as the largest in terms of the number of residents. The building in At-Tur was taller, and there have been no reports of a similar five-story structure being demolished in the recent period. The operation continues a series of enforcement measures against illegal construction in East Jerusalem, implementing court orders after lengthy legal proceedings were exhausted.
