Ir Amim, an organization dedicated to advocating for human rights in Jerusalem, reports that Israel’s Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the Ghaith family, who sought to overturn a lower court’s ruling that mandates their eviction from their residence in Batan al-Hawa, Silwan, in occupied Jerusalem.
This decision places 16 Jerusalmites in immediate jeopardy of displacement.
The ruling follows closely on the heels of a similar case in which the Shehadeh family was forcibly expelled from their residence in the same neighborhood less than a month ago. Their home was subsequently occupied by Israeli settlers.
The Israeli group said that while attention is directed towards Gaza and the West Bank, the circumstances are being exploited to expedite irreversible changes on the ground in Jerusalem, which carry grave violations of Palestinian rights.
“Since the outbreak of the war, there has been a dramatic spike in the number of court decisions authorising evictions of Palestinian families in favour of settler groups,” Ir Amim added in a statement.
In the past six months alone, the courts have ruled to evict a total of 14 families, numbering some 100 individuals – the majority of which are from Batan al-Hawa.
Recently, occupied Jerusalem has experienced a notable surge in settlement activities and efforts aimed at Judaizing the city, with a pronounced focus on the neighborhood of Silwan.
These activities encompass a broad spectrum of measures designed to finalize the Judaization of the area and displace its Palestinian inhabitants.
The Israeli occupation authorities are strategically targeting specific sites within Silwan, converting them into settlement outposts and expanding their presence.
A significant role in this process is played by the so-called “Custodian of Absentee Property,” who appropriates Palestinian assets in Jerusalem and sells them exclusively to Jewish buyers, thereby depriving local residents of their property rights.
Additionally, the Israeli authorities employ various tactics to forcefully remove residents from their homes, often using tenuous justifications to transfer land to settlement organizations.
These tactics include conducting subterranean excavations under the guise of archaeological research, which results in severe structural damage to Palestinian homes in Silwan.
The Israeli authorities further exacerbate the situation by labeling Palestinian homes as unsafe and prone to collapse, thereby increasing pressure on residents to vacate their properties.
Concurrently, the Israeli occupation municipality imposes onerous financial taxes on Jerusalemites, compelling them either to sell their properties or to leave the city altogether.
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