JERUSALEM, April 23, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities on Thursday issued eviction orders targeting seven apartments belonging to the Rajabi family in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, in occupied Jerusalem.
According to the Jerusalem Governorate, officials from the so-called Israeli Enforcement Authority stormed the neighborhood and handed the family notices ordering them to evacuate the apartments in favor of the settler organization Ateret Cohanim, as part of ongoing efforts to take over properties in the area.
The authorities gave the families until May 17 to carry out the evacuations, warning that forced eviction would be implemented before May 25 if they fail to comply. The move comes despite a legal appeal submitted by the family to freeze the orders, which has yet to receive a response.
The eviction orders affect seven apartments housing multiple families, including those of Zuhair Rajabi (five members), Osama Rajabi (seven), Samer Rajabi (six), Mundhir Rajabi (seven), Hazem Rajabi (nine), Jadallah Rajabi (seven), and Fouad Rajabi (six), putting dozens of Palestinians at risk of displacement.
On March 24, Israeli forces had already raided the area and evicted 11 inhabited homes belonging to the Rajabi family, displacing around 65 people, in addition to the eviction of the Youssef Basbous family of about 20 members after colonists took over their homes.
Legal claims by Ateret Cohanim are based on alleged ownership by Yemeni Jews dating back to 1881 over land measuring approximately 5.2 dunums in the neighborhood. These claims have intensified since 2015 and place more than 84 Palestinian families—around 700 people—at risk of eviction under Israel’s 1970 Legal and Administrative Matters Law, which allows Jews to reclaim pre-1948 property while denying Palestinians the same right.
So far, these policies have led to the displacement of 39 Palestinian families from the neighborhood and the takeover of their homes by colonists.
Batn al-Hawa is located about 400 meters from Al-Aqsa Mosque and is one of the most heavily targeted areas in Silwan, as part of plans to link settlement outposts and create a demographic ring around the holy site.
M.N
