Demolitions in East Jerusalem - 2020 Annual Report

In 2020, 144 housing units along with 72 non-residential structures (i.e stores, warehouses, stables, etc.), comprising a total of 216 structures were demolished in East Jerusalem.  This denotes a troubling continuation of the upward trend in the number of residential units demolished annually as a result of Amendment 116 of the Planning and Building Law (known as the “Kaminitz Law”).  During 2019, the first year during which Amendment 116 was implemented in its entirety, 104 housing units were demolished in Jerusalem.  Previously, the average number of housing units demolished annually from 2015-2018 was 83.
The number of home demolitions in 2020 was nearly 75% [73%] higher than the annual average prior to the enactment of the Kaminitz Law and almost 40% [38.4%] higher than in 2019, which was the first year during which the law came into effect in its entirety.