Policies of forced displacement against Palestinians are escalating in East Jerusalem, as Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld a ruling by the so-called “Central Court” ordering the eviction of a number of residential apartments in the Batn al-Hawa neighbourhood of Silwan, in favour of a settler organisation. The decision intensifies the humanitarian and legal suffering of residents and deepens the risks arising from the continued implementation of such measures.
The Jerusalem Governorate reported that the ruling was issued in two of four petitions submitted by residents of the neighbourhood. The first concerns the family of Abdul Fattah al-Rajabi, comprising two apartments inhabited by two families with a total of 16 members. The second relates to Yaqub and Nidal al-Rajabi and their brothers, involving 11 apartments housing more than 100 Jerusalemites. The court has yet to issue rulings in the cases of Yousef al-Basbous (four apartments, around 20 residents) and Zuhair al-Rajabi (seven apartments, approximately 50 residents).
These decisions form part of a long-standing pattern of forcible transfer targeting Jerusalemites, constituting a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in occupied territory. They also contravene provisions of the Rome Statute, which classifies forcible transfer as a crime against humanity, aimed at emptying the holy city of its indigenous population and replacing them with settlers.
The Jerusalem Governorate noted that since 2015, Israeli authorities have evicted around 16 families from Batn al-Hawa. It also reported that Khalil al-Basbous and Kaed al-Rajabi received eviction notices in January 2026, following the Supreme Court’s rejection of residents’ petitions and its endorsement of the Central Court’s rulings.
The settler organisation Ateret Cohanim, which spearheads these schemes, bases its claims on alleged ownership dating back to 1881, over land measuring approximately five dunums and 200 square metres. The organisation is regarded as one of the most dangerous groups driving the Judaization of Palestinian neighbourhoods, particularly in Silwan and the Old City, through the seizure of properties under spurious legal pretexts and with the protection of the Israeli judiciary.
Batn al-Hawa, home to around 10,000 Jerusalemites and located roughly 400 metres from Al-Aqsa Mosque, is at the forefront of neighbourhoods targeted by the occupation and settler organisations. This campaign seeks to tighten control over the mosque’s surroundings and link settlement outposts, exacerbating residents’ suffering, threatening their fundamental right to housing, and compounding the social and economic pressures they face.
These developments underscore the urgent need for international intervention to protect residents’ rights, halt forcible displacement, and ensure respect for international law and human rights, guaranteeing the right of Palestinians to dignified housing and a secure life in their holy city.
