Silwan neighborhood in Occupied Jerusalem which is next to Al-Aqsa Mosque is exposed to a large-scale Judaization campaign by which Palestinians are uprooted and their homes are demolished according to Fakhri Abu Diab the Jerusalem affairs expert.
“The most dangerous practice pursued by the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) is forcing the people of Silwan through court verdicts and municipal orders to demolish their own homes citing the usual pretext of the lack of building permits” Abu Diab said.
“If you did not demolish your home according to the court order the municipality will do it and it will charge the people with 80-100 thousand shekels fine” he added.
“How could a Palestinian demolish the house that he built? It is not about walls it is about the future of his family” Abu Diab wondered.
The number of Israeli settlers in 2011 in Silwan was estimated to be 350 Israeli settlers living in 18 buildings. This number however increased since Israeli settlers seized 33 new apartments near the end of 2014.
Preventing permits
The IOA-controlled Jerusalem Municipality imposes strict rules regarding construction of Palestinian homes in Silwan in which Palestinians face two options: either to build without permit which leads to home demolitions or to live in a very crowded neighborhood.
“There is no support from international organizations for the people of Silwan who experience home demolitions” Abu Diab said expressing his anger and dissatisfaction along with the people of Silwan towards the Israeli practices. He stressed however that “this is part of Jerusalemite steadfastness”.
Silwan neighborhood is famous for its many water springs in addition to the tunnels dug during the reign of the Canaanites the Byzantines the Romans and the Islamic period which extend from the Silwan neighborhood to the Old City and the Aqsa Mosque Abu Diab pointed out.
The IOA according to Abu Diab is working tirelessly using these tunnels to reach the bottom of the Aqsa Mosque. The IOA is also exerting incessant efforts to forge the historical sites so as to appear as Jewish relics of what was once called the City of David he added.
The people of Silwan face constant displacement from their homes. The IOA exploited the so-called Absentee Property Law which was originally created to prevent Palestinians from returning to their homes to seize control of Palestinian buildings in Silwan. Since 2004 the IOA employed this law to seize many Palestinian houses in Jerusalem from their owners whose Jerusalemite IDs were cancelled.
