Amnesty: Israel must scrap plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from Silwan

Amnesty International has called on Israel to cancel plans to forcibly displace two Palestinian families from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa area of the Silwan neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Saleh Higazi, said: “For years Israel has sought to expand illegal settlements in the area of Silwan, forcibly displacing more than 200 Palestinians from their homes.”

“This is yet another illustration of Israel’s criminal policy of forced displacement of Palestinians in motion,” he added.

“The recent protests locally and worldwide against forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah send a clear message that Israel’s land grabs will not go unnoticed. Israel’s authorities must immediately halt plans for forced evictions in Batn al-Hawa in Silwan and any other areas of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

Such forced evictions flagrantly violate the prohibition in international humanitarian law of forcible transfer and amount to war crimes.

He called on the USA, UK, EU countries and the international community to shoulder their responsibilities and stop Israel from continuing its policies of forcible transfer and dispossession.

“Instead of allowing Israel to trample over Palestinians’ rights with impunity, there must be a concerted effort to address the systematic oppression and dispossession of Palestinians which are among the root causes of these repeated cycles of violence and civilian bloodshed,” he said.

READ: Israel continues its aggression on Sheikh Jarrah