OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Israeli occupation authorities have issued final eviction notices to residents of 11 apartments in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, threatening the forced displacement of at least 60 Palestinian residents.
According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, joint teams from Israel’s Enforcement and Collection Authority, accompanied by Israeli occupation police forces, raided homes belonging to the al-Rajbi family in Batn al-Hawa and handed residents final eviction orders. The notices cite alleged “Jewish ownership” of the land on which the homes were built.
The center said the orders target several residential buildings, including six apartments owned by Nidal al-Rajbi, four apartments belonging to Yaqub al-Rajbi, and one apartment owned by Jerusalem resident Fathi al-Rajbi. The eviction deadline has been set for 23 March 2026, placing 60 people at imminent risk of losing their homes and being forcibly displaced.
Residents of Batn al-Hawa have faced eviction proceedings for many years, following a series of rulings issued by Israeli courts at all levels, from magistrate and district courts to Israel’s supreme court, which has consistently upheld the decisions. Once court rulings are finalized, Israel’s enforcement authorities move to implement them on the ground.
Earlier this month, on 3 February, Israeli authorities issued final eviction orders to Salah and Naim Muragha for parts of their homes located on land Israel claims is Jewish-owned, as well as for a family parking area. The family was given 21 days to comply with the decision.
Last month, the Enforcement and Collection Authority also delivered eviction warnings to residents of 32 additional apartments in the same neighborhood, under the same legal case, granting families 21 days before enforcement.
For more than a decade, Batn al-Hawa residents have waged legal battles in Israeli courts after receiving sudden claims that the land belongs to Jews of Yemeni origin dating back to 1881. Despite presenting official documents and property deeds, Palestinian families have repeatedly lost their cases, with Israeli courts ruling in favor of settler organizations.
The eviction orders are part of a broader settlement plan led by the settler group Ateret Cohanim, which seeks to take control of approximately 5.2 dunums of land in the central section of Batn al-Hawa, based on claims of historical ownership.
Ateret Cohanim first served families with legal notices roughly a decade ago. The first eviction ruling was issued by a magistrate court in 2020, followed by a series of subsequent decisions, some of which have already been enforced in favor of settlers.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center said Israeli authorities have seized properties over the years belonging to several Palestinian families, including Shihadeh, Sarhan, Gheith, Abu Nab, Odeh, Shweiki, al-Rajbi, and Basbous, under the same ownership claims.
Since 2016, Ateret Cohanim has taken control of more than 30 residential properties in Batn al-Hawa, comprising dozens of apartments and homes. In recent months, eviction operations have intensified, alongside the systematic rejection of appeals submitted by affected families.
