Photo: Employees of the Israeli authorities remove the belongings of a Palestinian home, in the neighbourhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem, on 25 March (Faiz Abu Armila/MEE)
Not only are Palestinians being forced from their homes in the West Bank at an escalating rate, but it is also happening in East Jerusalem.
On March 24th and 25th, fifteen Palestinian families left their homes in the Baten Al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan, East Jerusalem. The families had lost a long legal battle and were ordered by the court to leave and consequently, their houses were transferred to the prominent Ateret Cohanim settler association. Four of the families left voluntarily, while the other 11 families were evicted by heavy police force presence who arrived with dogs. Private contractors were also involved, and video documentation shows young settlers carrying out furniture. A total of 65 people were forcibly displaced.
Silwan is located just south of Jerusalem’s Old City and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound thus it is one of the most politically and religiously sensitive areas in Jerusalem. It has faced years of pressure from the Israeli authorities and groups pushing to expand illegal Israeli settlements and control in the heart of Silwan’s neighbourhoods.
The eviction cases are based on an Israeli law enacted in 1970, which grants Jews exclusive rights to reclaim property allegedly owned prior to 1948, while denying Palestinians the same right. It is a clear manifestation of an Israeli policy aimed at engineering the demographic balance and ‘Judaizing’ the neighborhood by exploiting discriminatory laws. ICAHD has long highlighted that Israel’s goal is to reduce the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem from 40% to 28%. To achieve its goal, it has used a variety of mechanisms that demonstrate Israel’s apartheid policies supported by state institutions because there is one law for Jews and another for Palestinians.
In Batn al-Hawa, approximately 90 families, totalling 700 people, face an imminent threat of forced displacement. This is alongside another 1,500 people from 150 families in Silwan’s al-Bustan area threatened with demolitions and displacement due to Israel’s plans to establish King David’s Garden and archaeological park that will replace homes with public space.
With so many families threatened with losing their homes throughout East Jerusalem, the West Bank and along with the Bedouins in the Negev who are also being forcibly displaced, ICAHD’s focus is on addressing the root cause of Israel's settler colonial agenda because only then will these gross violations end. Lobbying our political representatives must continue. Write to them today demanding that sanctions be put on the state of Israel. It can start by ending arm sales and all other trade with Israel.
Stop Israel’s ethnic cleansing through demolitions, forced displacement and by Israel allowing violent settlers to terrorize Palestinian communities End apartheid policies that operate over all of historic Palestine Israel’s settler colonialism must end
Photo: View of Silwan with Israeli flags raised over Palestinian homes taken by Jewish settlers – Mostafa Alkarouf – Anadolu Agency
Over the years, ICAHD has come to know Fakhri Abu Diab, community leader from al-Bustan, and several of our study tours participants have met him. In 2024, we helped to rebuild his home following its demolition on Valentine’s Day but sadly, his new home was also subsequently demolished in November that year. Since then, Fakhri and his wife have been living in a caravan but that is also has a demolition order on it. A crowd-funding campaign has been launched to help Fakhri and his wife should internationals wish to help them.