Israeli court issues mass eviction orders for Palestinians in East Jerusalem neighbourhood

An Israeli court has issued eviction orders against dozens of Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, putting hundreds of residents at risk of forced displacement in favour of settler groups.

According to local sources, around 37 apartments housing approximately 300 people are under immediate threat following a ruling in favour of the Ateret Cohanim settler association. The group claims ownership of roughly five dunams of land in the neighbourhood, citing deeds from 1881. The broader plan covers 30–35 buildings with about 80 families—some 600 residents— who have lived in Silwan for decades.

Zuhair al-Rajabi, head of the Batn al-Hawa neighbourhood committee, said that 250 residents from 26 homes received formal eviction notices on Sunday from the Israeli Central Court. He added that the ruling also targets 11 apartments belonging to the Yaqoub, Nidal, and Fathi al-Rajabi families, home to another 60 people.

“This is forced displacement, where Jerusalemites are expelled from their city to replace them with settlers,” al-Rajabi said, vowing that residents would resist “until the last moment.”

The Basbous family, numbering 30 people, was also served with eviction orders. Family member Bilal Basbous said they had been battling demolition and eviction threats for years, stressing their determination to remain in their homes overlooking Al-Aqsa Mosque.