MKs from Hadash-Ta'al, including members of CP of Israel, visited Silwan as 7 Palestinian families were evacuated

MK Ofer Cassif told the foreign representatives that in Silwan, similar to the general situation in the West Bank, "two forms of ethnic cleansing are being observed: the demolition of homes that leave families homeless, and the violent displacement to allow settlers to enter."

Cassif called this policy “apartheid” and asked diplomats to urge their governments to act. “We want peace, a just peace, and it is possible, but we need your help,” he said. He also criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing him of escalating the climate of violence and supporting policies that worsen the situation on the ground. The visit was attended by diplomats from Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey, as well as representatives of international organizations, including UNESCO and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory. It should be noted that the Israeli police imposed restrictions on the visit, forcing the diplomats to patrol only one street and approving their access to only two houses, and only after vigorous intervention by members of the Knesset.

At the end of the tour, MK Cassif said: "I visited Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem again with my fellow faction members, Ahmed Tibi and Samir Ben Said. We saw up close the harsh reality of ongoing ethnic cleansing through house demolitions, expulsions, and violent takeovers by terrorists of the homes of Palestinian residents, most of whom are natives of the area. The abhorrent division of labor between the occupation regime and the operators on the ground, the occupation police, and settlers alike, is only the tip of the iceberg of all the crimes being committed in all the occupied territories. We will do everything we can, including continuing to appeal to the international community, so that these crimes are stopped and true freedom and peace prevail here."

While the diplomats and members of the Hadash-Ta'al faction were touring, members of the Law Enforcement and Collection System Authority raided the Baten al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan and handed the Rajabi family eviction orders for seven residential apartments in favor of the Ateret Cohanim settler association, as part of efforts to Judaize the neighborhood and take over their homes. The families were given an extension until May 17 to carry out the eviction orders, with the occupation authorities expected to carry out a forced eviction before May 25 if the orders are not implemented. This is despite the family petitioning the court to freeze the eviction orders, which has not yet been granted.

The eviction orders place dozens of Jerusalem residents at risk of forced displacement. On March 24, the occupation forces raided the neighborhood and evacuated 11 houses belonging to the Rajabi family, in which about 65 people lived, as well as the Yusef Basbous family, numbering about 20 people, after settlers took over their homes.

The Ateret Cohanim association’s claims are based on claims that Yemeni Jews have owned an area of ​​about five dunams in the neighborhood since 1881. These claims have expanded since 2015 and have put more than 84 Arab families, including about 700 people, at risk of eviction. They are based on the 1970 Judicial and Administrative Arrangements Law, which allows Jews to claim properties from before 1948, while Arabs are not allowed to reclaim properties they lost during that period. This policy has so far resulted in the eviction of 39 Arab families from their homes in the neighborhood and the takeover of their homes by settlers, as part of a systematic move to create settlement facts in the area. The Baten al-Hawa neighborhood has become one of the main centers of activity for settler associations, as part of a plan to connect settlement centers in Silwan.