Israel is fanning flames of latest upsurge in violence, says Amnesty

Ahead of an appeal hearing at the Jerusalem District Court on 26 May over the forced eviction of two Palestinian families in the Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, Amnesty International said such eviction “flagrantly violate the prohibition in international humanitarian law of forcible transfer and amount to war crimes.”

“This is yet another illustration of Israel’s criminal policy of forced displacement of Palestinians in motion,” said Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Saleh Higazi.

On November 2020, seven eviction rulings were issued by the Israeli High Court in Jerusalem ordering the eviction of seven Palestinian families, over 87 Palestinians, in Batn al-Hawa to be replaced by Israeli settlers.

Two of the families, the Najah family and the Kayed al-Rajabi family had their appeal cases heard today, 26 May, but the ruling on the appeal was postponed by the Court for the attorney general to be informed about the matter.

The date has not been scheduled.

Amnesty also pointed out that Israeli occupation authorities are fanning the flames of the latest upsurge in violence and perpetuating the same systematic human rights violations against Palestinians that are at the root of the latest violence by continuing to pursue this court case – after the outcry over the planned forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem.

“For years Israel has sought to expand illegal settlements in the area of Silwan, forcibly displacing more than 200 Palestinians from their homes,” it stated.

“The recent protests locally and worldwide against forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah send a clear message that Israel’s land grabs will not go unnoticed. Israel’s authorities must immediately halt plans for forced evictions in Batn al-Hawa in Silwan and any other areas of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

“Such forced evictions flagrantly violate the prohibition in international humanitarian law of forcible transfer and amount to war crimes.”

Amnesty said that the USA, UK, EU countries and the international community at large have a responsibility to stop Israeli occupation from continuing with its policies of forcible transfer and dispossession.

Instead of allowing Israel to trample over Palestinians’ rights with impunity, Amnesty said, “there must be a concerted effort to address the systematic oppression and dispossession of Palestinians which are among the root causes of these repeated cycles of violence and civilian bloodshed.”

Ateret Cohanim, a settler organization, has been seeking, with the support of Israeli occupation authorities, to forcibly evict some 100 Palestinian families from the Batn al-Hawa area in Silwan, claiming the land is rightfully owned by a Jewish trust active in the area more than 100 years ago.

Silwan, home to around 33,000 Palestinians, is located outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and its holy sites.

Israel has been moving its citizens into the neighbourhood since the 1980s. This has resulted in numerous human rights violations, including the forced eviction and displacement of Palestinian residents.

Hundreds of Palestinian families are being threatened with evictions and house demolitions from their homes by illegal settler groups, fully supported by the Israeli government.

There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.