Palestinians in Silwan and other East Jerusalem neighborhoods continue to face eviction under the guise of war. Last week, 15 Palestinian families in Silwan were evicted from their homes, which were transferred to settlers from the “Ateret Cohanim” movement. 

The expulsion is focused on the Batan al-Hawa neighborhood, located on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, and is based on the Absentees’ Property Law of 1950 and the Law of Legal and Administrative Arrangements of 1970, which allow Jews to claim ownership of properties that were in their possession before 1948 but deny this right to Arabs whose homes and lands were settled by Jews in Jerusalem and throughout the country. 

In the past year, 35 eviction orders have been issued to families in the neighborhood, and in the coming months, all of them are expected to be carried out, leaving dozens of families without homes and shelter. 

There is no dispute that the residents of Batan al-Hawa........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)