The threat of eviction haunts 90 members of the Basbous and Al-Rajabi families in Silwan
The threat of eviction and the nightmare of displacement have once again haunted the residents of the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Basbous and Al-Rajabi families face the risk of losing their homes after Israeli courts rejected an appeal against the eviction orders filed in favor of the Ateret Cohanim settler association, based on the pretext that the land has been Jewish since 1881.
Ten apartments in the neighborhood face eviction, while their residents live in a state of anxiety and anticipation in the absence of any guarantees for their future.
Raafat Basbous explained that the family received the order through their lawyer, as the District Court rejected the appeal in absentia. He said, "The eviction orders were expected, and filing objections gives us some hope and temporary relief mixed with fear. But under the current right-wing government, the results are known in advance."
Basbous added that the settler organizations are demanding their eviction by the end of the year, noting that the family is planning to appeal to the Supreme Court to freeze and overturn the decision. However, it is clear that, given the facilitations granted to the settlers, the implementation of the eviction orders is being accelerated to Judaize the city and the Al-Aqsa Mosque area.
He explained that the decision affects two residential buildings belonging to the Basbous family: the first is a three-story building with four apartments, and the second is a two-story building with two apartments. Approximately 55 people live in the neighborhood, all of whom have lived in the neighborhood since the 1960s.
In the same context, the Al-Rajabi family faces the same fate. They were forcibly displaced from their homes in the Harat al-Sharaf neighborhood of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967 and moved to Silwan.
Kayed Rajabi said: "Since the decision was issued, we have not known peace or stability. Our only thoughts are focused on the decision. We cannot leave our homes."
The eviction order included four families from the Al-Rajabi family, comprising approximately 35 individuals.
Kayed Al-Rajabi, a member of the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood committee, explained that the families began receiving eviction notices in 2015, as part of the Ateret Cohanim plan to seize 5200 square meters of the neighborhood, claiming that it has been owned by Jews from Yemen since 1881.
The settlement association claims that the Supreme Court recognized the ownership of the land by Yemenite Jews. More than 35 residential buildings are built on the land, housing approximately 80 Palestinian families, all of whom have lived in the neighborhood for decades after purchasing their lands and properties from their previous owners with official documents.
Between the rejection of the judicial appeal and the escalation of settlement plans, the residents of Batn al-Hawa find themselves facing a daily battle to defend their homes and existence, amid a clear Israeli policy aimed at Judaizing Silwan and controlling the area surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque. Despite this, the residents affirm their adherence to their right to remain in their town and homes, refusing displacement and insisting on persevering there.
