AMMAN: Israeli authorities have demolished 3,917 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem between June 1967 and October 2026, according to Jordan’s Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs.
The committee’s Secretary-General, Abdullah Kanaan, said on Sunday that home demolitions were part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at changing the demographic and geographical character of the Holy City and displacing its indigenous Arab population, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Kanaan noted that the policy of “self-demolition”–where homeowners are coerced into dismantling their properties or facing prohibitive administrative fines from occupation authorities–represents a grave violation of basic human rights aimed at undermining Palestinian resilience, particularly in Silwan and districts surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
He also warned that dozens of Palestinian families in Silwan, south of the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, faced the imminent threat of eviction.
Calls for action to stop Palestinians forced evictions
Calling for international intervention, Kanaan urged the international community to hold Israeli authorities accountable, stop forced evictions, protect Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents and ensure the implementation of relevant international resolutions to achieve a just and lasting peace.
“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.
He also reaffirmed Jordan’s role in safeguarding the legal and historical status quo at Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites and preventing actions that threaten the city’s Arab character and historical identity.
The EU strongly condemns the latest attacks by violent settlers in the West Bank, including on European diplomats. Full statement here 👇
https://t.co/HWzQjSokUz— Christian Wigand (@ExtSpoxEU) October 18, 2026
Earlier, the European Union strongly condemned an attack carried out the previous day by a group of Israeli settlers against visiting European diplomats in the occupied West Bank.
“The EU strongly condemns the latest attacks by violent settlers in the West Bank, including on European diplomats,” the foreign service said in a communique.
ALSO READ: EU Condemns Illegal Israeli Settlers’ Attack on European Delegation in Occupied West Bank
The communiqué also called for full accountability and effective measures to prevent further violence and harassment against Palestinians, particularly during the ongoing olive harvest season, as well as attacks against journalists.
“We urge Israel to fully abide by International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, and to cease the expansion of settlements,” the statement concluded.
On Saturday, Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank and assaulted a visiting French mayor, witnesses said. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of a looming “crisis” in the territory, a day after an American photojournalist was injured in a violent attack.
