Daijiworld Media Network – Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Jan 18: Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa neighbourhood of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem are living under intense fear and uncertainty after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected final appeals against eviction, paving the way for what rights groups describe as the largest coordinated displacement from a single East Jerusalem neighbourhood since 1967.

Among those facing imminent eviction is 50-year-old Kayed Rajabi, who has lived his entire life in a modest home overlooking the Al-Aqsa Mosque. A municipal street sweeper, Rajabi has stopped going to work, fearing his family could be evicted in his absence. Children in affected households have also stopped attending school as families remain inside, clinging to their homes for as long as possible.

At least 150 Palestinians from 28 families have received eviction notices, ordering them to vacate their homes within 21 days. In total, around 700 residents from 84 families now face forced displacement. Twenty-four homes belonging to the extended Rajabi family alone are under eviction orders, affecting nearly 250 people.

The latest court ruling has already led to at least one forcible eviction in the neighbourhood, with settlers moving into vacated homes under police protection. Residents say the presence of settlers and armed guards has created constant psychological pressure, making daily life unbearable.

Rights groups say the evictions stem from claims revived in 2001 through the Benvenisti Trust, now overseen by the settler organisation Ateret Cohanim. Israeli courts have accepted claims that land once owned by Jewish trusts in the 19th century should be returned, even though Palestinian families have lived there for decades. Palestinians, however, are denied similar rights to reclaim properties lost in 1948 and 1967.

Community leaders argue the legal process has been deeply unjust. “We have spent years and huge sums fighting in court, but every decision favours settlers,” said Zuheir Rajabi, a community representative. “Our families are being uprooted again, with no solution offered.”

Israeli NGO Ir Amim has noted serious irregularities in the management of the Benvenisti Trust, including financial links to settler groups, but eviction proceedings have continued regardless. Meanwhile, settlers maintain that the evictions are correcting historical injustices.

As eviction deadlines approach, families say they have nowhere to go. Rents in East Jerusalem are unaffordable for most, and displacement is fracturing long-standing community ties. Parents struggle to comfort children traumatised by the prospect of losing their homes.

“We are staying until the last moment,” said Wa’il Rajabi, Kayed’s brother. “But they are scattering us, breaking our community apart.”

For the families of Batn al-Hawa, each remaining day together feels fragile, as memories, homes and neighbourhood bonds face erasure under the shadow of forced eviction.