Israeli court advances forced displacement of Palestinians in favor of Jewish settlers in Silwan
Israel’s high court has advanced the forced displacement of Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, following rulings on two of four petitions filed by residents, according to the al-Quds Governorate.
In a statement released Monday, the governorate said the court upheld earlier decisions ordering the removal of families from their homes, a move that would benefit the Israeli colonial organization Ateret Cohanim.
The cases decided include that of the Abdel Fattah al-Rajabi family, involving two apartments housing two families and 16 people, and the case of Yaqoub and Nidal al-Rajabi and their brothers, covering 11 apartments where more than 100 Palestinians live.
Two petitions remain pending before the court. These concern the Youssef al-Basbous family, which includes four apartments housing about 20 people, and the Zuhair al-Rajabi family, involving seven apartments with approximately 50 residents.
The al-Quds Governorate condemned the rulings, slamming Israeli authorities for using settler organizations and discriminatory courts to enforce expulsions in occupied East al-Quds.
It said the measures violate international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute.
Officials warned that the campaign aims to empty al-Quds of its Palestinian population and replace them with settlers, accelerating Israel’s efforts to consolidate control over the city through dispossession and demographic engineering.
Since 2015, at least 16 families—representing dozens of households—have been forcefully displaced from the area, which lies about 400 meters south of Al-Aqsa Mosque and is home to roughly 10,000 Palestinians.
Rightful residents have waged years-long legal battles against claims by Ateret Cohanim, which cites alleged 19th-century ownership.
The developments come a week after Israel’s so-called "security cabinet" approved a highly controversial plan to establish 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
In September, far-right Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich announced intentions to annex more than 80 percent of the West Bank, describing the move as a “preventative step” against international efforts to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Israel occupied the West Bank, including the western part of the holy city of al-Quds, in 1967 and later annexed East al-Quds, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s prolonged occupation of historic Palestine was unlawful and called for the removal of all settlements currently in the West Bank and East al-Quds.
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