Wednesday, the lawyer of the Salihiya family whose house was demolished by the Israeli Occupation said that what happened was illegal because the authorities did not have a demolition order but only had an eviction order for one person out of 30 people who live in the house, according to AFP.

Early Wednesday, the Israeli Occupation destroyed the home of the Salihiya family and arrested at least 18 people as they carried out a controversial eviction order in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

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“Today, these people were illegally arrested, and the house was demolished as well,” Walid Abu Tayeh, the lawyer, said. “They (authorities) didn't have a demolition order (for the house) but an eviction order (for the family), an eviction order for one person out of thirty. We agreed to the eviction and sent them (authorities) a message about our agreement to the eviction, but they still took everything. And after they arrested them, they demolished the house.”

The lawyer continued by saying “The nursery (near the house) was (initially) built by the Jerusalem municipality through the Moriah company (Moriah Jerusalem Development Corporation). The house is considered a historical house that has no demolition order against it.”

“That house was built in 1925, before Israel was established, and anyway there was no demolition order, only an eviction order, and we had sent a message to the Writ of Execution to say that we agreed to the eviction,” he added.

“This is an illegal arrest, it's an arrest out of revenge, they (authorities) want to liquidate the (Palestinian) population. And Palestinians are subconsciously ready to die not to be evicted. The Salihiya family is a family of refugees from Ein Karem since 1948, and they would rather die now than be refugees again,” Abu Tayeh said.

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