JERUSALEM, January 26, 2025 (WAFA) - Hundreds of residents from the East Jerusalem town of Silwan staged a sit-in in front of the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem to protest the ongoing policy of home demolitions and eviction orders enforced by Israeli authorities against the town's residents.

Left-wing Israeli activists took part in the demonstration. Participants held banners denouncing the demolition of homes and demanding its cessation.

During the protest, Murad Abu Sha'ef, a member of the Silwan Land Defense Committee, delivered a speech in which he reaffirmed the community's rejection of home demolitions, highlighting that there are currently 7,000 demolition orders in Silwan.

Fakhri Abu Diab, another member of the Silwan Land Defense Committee, remarked that the protest marks the beginning of a series of actions against the municipality's policy of demolishing homes and denying building permits.

He stated, "We have come today to the municipal headquarters to send a clear message to the authorities that we need more building permits and the freezing of demolition orders."

Silwan is home to approximately 59,000 Palestinian residents, with around 7,500 of them living in six neighborhoods at imminent risk of forced displacement. These residents are threatened with either home demolition due to alleged illegal construction or eviction to make way for Israeli colonial organizations.

T.R.