Israeli occupation forces stormed Al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan, adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, today, Monday, carrying out widespread demolitions. Occupation municipality bulldozers accompanied the military forces, which imposed a complete closure on the main and secondary roads leading to the neighborhood to prevent residents or media crews from accessing it.
Local sources reported that occupation machinery completely destroyed four homes, owned by brothers Naeem and Ibrahim Shehadeh, citizen Saleh Abu Shafea, in addition to the home of 85-year-old elderly Ahmed Al-Abbasi. The forces did not stop at demolishing homes but also began destroying retaining walls and bulldozing streets and infrastructure in the area.
In a related context, occupation authorities handed notices to three other families in the neighborhood, demanding them to evacuate their homes by next Saturday in preparation for their demolition. This step comes as part of the continuous pressure policy practiced by the occupation municipality to displace indigenous residents from the neighborhood, which is threatened with complete removal for Judaization projects.
Statistics issued by the Silwan Land Defense Committee indicate a sharp decline in the number of housing units in the neighborhood, as the number of homes decreased from 120 homes about a decade and a half ago to only 66 homes currently. The period following October 7, 2023, witnessed a significant escalation, with the occupation demolishing 37 homes during these few months.
The occupation authorities seek, through these operations, to level Al-Bustan neighborhood to the ground, under a historical pretext claiming that the area was 'King David's Garden.' This plan aims to expand the so-called 'National Park' managed by the extremist settlement association 'Elad,' which already controls vast areas in the adjacent Wadi Hilweh neighborhood.
Last January, the occupation municipality issued notices to confiscate about 7 dunams of the neighborhood's land, under the pretext of using it for landscaping and establishing parking lots. The municipality claims that these lands are 'empty,' while in reality, they are lands that previously contained inhabited Palestinian homes before the occupation forcibly demolished them and displaced their owners.
Al-Bustan neighborhood residents face existential risks amid the accelerating pace of demolition and confiscation during the last two years, as these measures are linked to the 'City of David' settlement project. Silwan residents appeal to international and human rights organizations for urgent intervention to stop the demolition massacre aimed at eliminating the Palestinian presence in the areas surrounding the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation continues to pressure families in Al-Bustan neighborhood to forcibly displace them and convert their lands into settlement projects.
שתף את דעתך
Occupation launches extensive demolition campaign in Silwan to expand settlement projects in Jerusalem