32 apartments in Batn al-Hawa face eviction within 21 Days
On Monday, the Israeli Enforcement and Collection Authority issued eviction notices to 32 residential units in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, located south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The authorities claim that the land is owned by Jews of Yemeni origin.
Jadallah al-Rajabi, a member of the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood committee, said that teams from the Enforcement and Collection Authority, accompanied by police forces, stormed the neighborhood and imposed a siege on the area before breaking into several homes and delivering notices to the families, requiring them to vacate the apartments within 21 days.
Al-Rajabi explained that the notices included the following buildings:
• Zuhair al-Rajabi and Brothers Building: 7 apartments
• Abdul Fattah al-Rajabi Building: 2 apartments
• Kayed al-Rajabi and Brothers Building: 4 apartments
• Yaqoub al-Rajabi Building: 11 apartments
• Basbous Family Building: 4 apartments • Yassin Family Building: 4 apartments.
In recent months, Israeli courts have issued eviction orders and dismissed appeals from affected families. These decisions have been finalized and given legal legitimacy following ratification by the Israeli Supreme Court.
Al-Rajabi pointed out that all these buildings are located within a settlement plan led by the Ateret Cohanim organization. This plan aims to seize approximately 5200 square meters in the central part of the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood, claiming ownership of the land by Jews of Yemeni origin since 1881.
Based on available data, the land is divided into six plots. The settlement organization states that the Israeli Supreme Court has acknowledged the settlers' ownership. The association first served legal notice to the families in 2016, leading to a series of hearings. These proceedings resulted in the Magistrate's Court issuing its first eviction order in 2020.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that the targeted land includes 30 to 35 residential buildings home to about 80 Jerusalemite families, totaling roughly 600 people. These families have lived in the neighborhood for decades, with land and property purchases backed by official documents from the 1950s to 1970s.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center also reported that in recent years, occupation authorities have confiscated properties from the Shehadeh, Ghaith, Abu Nab, Odeh, Shweiki, Rajabi, and Basbous families under the same case, citing claims of Jewish land ownership.
