The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs warned that the Israeli occupation authorities are proceeding rapidly to remove the Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan in occupied Jerusalem.

The ministry pointed out in a statement issued on Friday evening to the significant increase in demolition operations in the city as a whole since the beginning of this year and in the Al-Bustan neighborhood in particular.

She said that the occupation authorities have demolished more than 183 buildings in East Jerusalem since the beginning of this year, including 33 in the town of Silwan alone, where the largest number of demolitions were in the Al-Bustan neighborhood.

The ministry warned that the escalation of demolitions in the Al-Bustan neighborhood indicates that the occupation is determined to erase the neighborhood from the map in favor of establishing a biblical park on its ruins, in a process that amounts to ethnic cleansing and a war crime. The ministry said that the occupation municipality demolished 3 buildings in the neighborhood last Wednesday, several days after demolishing 3 other buildings containing 7 residential apartments.

“This joins many homes that have been demolished in the neighbourhood since the beginning of this year and previous years, while several families have recently received notices of the imminent demolition of their homes,” she said.

She added: "The occupation municipality is not even ashamed to openly declare through its statements that it wants to remove the Al-Bustan neighborhood to build a biblical garden on its ruins."

"The occupation municipality wants to remove the neighborhood, even though it has existed since before the occupation itself," she continued. The ministry referred to the many official meetings it held with consuls and representatives of diplomatic missions operating in Palestine to inform them of the seriousness of the situation in Jerusalem and the significant escalation in the demolition of Jerusalemites' homes during the comprehensive and ongoing Israeli aggression against our people since October 7, 2023.

The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs called on the international community to quickly intervene to stop the massacre of house demolitions in Jerusalem in general and the Al-Bustan neighborhood in particular.

She said: “We welcome the many statements issued by international parties, including the European Union and the United Nations, against the demolitions, especially in the Al-Bustan neighbourhood, but the governments of these countries are also required to intervene effectively with Israel, the occupying power, to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes.”