The Israeli Supreme Court upholds the eviction of 22 apartments in Silwan's Batn al-Hawa neighborhood
The Israeli Supreme
The Israeli Supreme Court continues to issue rulings that displace and expel Palestinian residents from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan in favor of settlers.
Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed appeals against the eviction orders issued by the District Court last September concerning the Rajabi families, thereby affirming the earlier decisions.
The targeted buildings include:
• Yaqoub Rajabi buildings: Comprising 11 apartments.
• Abdel Fattah Rajabi building: Comprising four apartments.
• Zuhair Rajabi and Brothers building: Comprising seven apartments.
Over 140 residents live in these buildings. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Jerusalem explained that all of these structures are part of a settlement plan by the “Ateret Cohanim” association. This plan aims to control an area of approximately 5200 square meters in the Al-Hara Al-Wusta of the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood. The association asserts that the land was owned by Yemeni Jewish families since 1881. It also noted that the land is divided into six parcels, with the association claiming that the Supreme Court has approved the settlers’ ownership.
The settler organization issued the family's first legal notice in 2016, leading to a series of court hearings that resulted in the Magistrate's Court issuing its first eviction order in 2020.
The center explained that the land in question includes 30 to 35 residential buildings, home to about 80 families and roughly 600 people. All of these residents have lived in the neighborhood for decades after purchasing their land and properties with official documents during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
The center confirmed that in recent years, the Ateret Cohanim organization has successfully enforced multiple eviction orders against Jerusalemite families, including the Shehadeh, Ghaith, Abu Nab, Odeh, Shweiki, and Rajabi families. All these actions are part of a single case regarding the claim of Jewish ownership of the land.
The Enforcement and Execution Department issued an eviction order to the Basbous family, requiring them to vacate by January 5, 2026.
