OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Is there any pain greater than being forced by your enemy to demolish your own home with your own hands? The harshest reality is being a Jerusalemite rooted in the holy land, while the occupation, with all its arrogance and aggression, seeks to uproot you in an effort to Judaize Jerusalem in all its details. Meanwhile, its steadfast residents remain the last line of defense against the Zionist plans.
Jerusalemite Khaled Muhammad Awda speaks about this pain and suffering, recounting in his wounded voice how he was forced by the Israeli occupation forces to demolish his home at the behest of the municipality. He pointed out that he had no choice but to comply with the order to avoid paying exorbitant sums to municipal crews if they carried out the demolition themselves and to prevent the bulldozers from destroying his home and land.
“I have lived in this house for 24 years, and our parents and grandparents used the land for grazing sheep and sleeping on it,” says Awda. He continues, “When I moved in, the living space during the Jordanian period was 70 meters, so I built an additional 80 meters. The municipality asked me for a permit, and I started the procedures.”
Awda adds, “I was taken to court, fined thousands of shekels, and I will keep paying fines until 2028, even after the house is demolished.” He concludes by saying, “We are steadfast, and we will remain steadfast and resilient.”
Demolition of 12 Jerusalemite establishments in one month
The town of Silwan in occupied Jerusalem is facing a fierce campaign of demolition and displacement, along with an expansion of settlement and Judaization plans aimed at changing the identity of the area surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque and adding a Jewish character to it.
Data indicate that since the beginning of November, the Israeli occupation authorities have demolished 12 Jerusalemite establishments, including a protest tent, the Al-Bustan Association, homes, and sheds. The specter of demolition haunts the families of the Tawil, Abu Sha’af, and Abu Diab after they received demolition notices within a maximum period of 3 weeks.
Warnings about targeting Jerusalem neighborhoods
The Silwan Defense Committee has called for deterring the Israeli occupation and stopping its plans aimed at expelling and displacing more than 1,550 residents from the town located south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Fakhri Abu Diab, head of the Silwan Land Defense Committee and a member of the Al-Aqsa Trustees Association, warned of the dangers posed by the occupation authorities targeting Jerusalem neighborhoods, especially in the southern area of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as it serves as the protective shield for the Mosque. He pointed out that Silwan bears the brunt of these assaults, particularly the Al-Bustan neighborhood, which is facing an offensive aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence there.
Abu Diab stated that the Al-Bustan neighborhood has suffered from demolition and displacement for 20 years, and that the occupation wants to resolve the Silwan issue and Judaize the area surrounding Al-Aqsa to remove the first line of defense represented by the Palestinian presence in Silwan.
The occupation seeks to impose its control, Sheikh Sabri warns
The imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, previously warned about the dangers of the settlement projects promoted by the occupation in the towns and villages south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, aimed at enforcing complete control over it, not just its surroundings.
Sheikh Sabri confirmed that the occupation is clearly and intensively targeting villages surrounding Al-Aqsa, specifically from the southern side, intending to empty them of Palestinian residents and buildings, replacing them with settlement projects encircling the Mosque.
He explained that this is part of a long-standing Israeli plan leading ultimately to the seizure of the entire southern area, aiming to connect Al-Aqsa with Jabal Mukaber as part of what the Israeli fanatics supported by the extremist government call the “Holy Basin.”
The “Holy Basin” project extends from the Wadi Rababa area in Silwan, passing through the Al-Bustan and Wadi Hilwa neighborhoods, then towards the Tantour Far’un area and the Jewish cemeteries on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, covering an area of about 2 kilometers.
