The Palestinian families of Aqabet al-Khaldiyya neighborhood in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem live a state of anxiety and tension due to the neighboring settlement associations’ attempts to seize their homes.
The neighborhood which is adjacent to al-Aqsa Mosque is living an identity struggle with the Israeli flags spreading over the roofs and the Hebrew writings engraved on the stones of some buildings. It also contains two synagogues three religious schools and a celebration hall. On the other hand all that the Jerusalemite families can do is maintain and restore their property despite the restrictions imposed by the Jerusalem Municipality.
Ahmad Mustafaa resident in the area said that Aqabet al-Khaldiyya is the closest neighborhood to the Jewish Quarter in Occupied Jerusalem. He affirmed that the neighborhood is regularly exposed to the settlement expansion pointing out that 7 houses in Aqabet al-Khaldiyya are currently at risk of evacuation.
Mustafa told the PIC that the settlement associations are attempting to Judaize the neighborhood to expand the Jewish Quarter and bring more settlers to the Old City emphasizing that the Israelis have not been able until today to achieve a demographic victory since the number of settlers living in the Old City is 4000 compared to 33000 Jerusalemite citizens.
Mustafa continued “To overcome this the Israelis try to control outposts located in strategic areas on the main roads leading to the Old City and al-Aqsa Mosque” adding “To show control of any area they place Israeli flags and Talmudic signs like the Star of David.”
He said that the settlement associations managed to control 73 outposts inside the Old City where 1000 settlers live warning of the danger of the settlement expansion and stressing the need to thwart the Judaization and Israelization plans in the city.
Displacement of Jerusalemite families
The settlement associations claim that the real estates they seize in the Old City were owned by Jews before 1948 while the discriminatory Israeli law prevents the Palestinian citizens from claiming their properties in west Jerusalem.
The Jerusalemite citizen Hammouda Kastiro 65 who has been living in Aqabet al-Khaldiyya neighborhood No. 32 since 1968 said that he received a letter several months ago from Shuvu Bonim settlement association ordering him to leave his house for being adjacent to the synagogue belonging to the association despite the fact that he has a rental contract.
Kastiro pointed out that the Jerusalemite families are subjected to continuous harassment by the settlers in order to expel and displace them from the neighborhood stressing “We made many complaints to the Israeli police but they did do anything. Our lives have turned into hell.”
The families of Aqabet al-Khaldiyya ask for support amid the daily suffering they face complaining that they are not able even to repair their houses because they are afraid of being brought to trial. One of the citizens was brought to trial after he changed the door of his old house.
The latest Israeli attempt to take control of Arab houses in the neighborhood targeted the house of Nora Sub-Laban’s family but it failed.
