Palestinian residents in the Silwan neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem say they are facing a “new Nakba” as Israeli authorities intensify home demolitions near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. According to residents and rights groups, several homes and structures have recently been demolished or issued demolition notices, raising fears of further displacement in the area.
Silwan, located just south of the Old City walls, has long been at the centre of tensions over Israeli settlement expansion and Palestinian residency rights in East Jerusalem. Families affected by the demolitions say they are being pushed out of neighbourhoods where they have lived for generations.
Israeli authorities argue that many of the buildings were constructed without permits, which Palestinians say are nearly impossible to obtain under Israeli planning policies in East Jerusalem.
Rights organisations have accused Israel of using demolitions and settlement expansion to alter the demographic makeup of the city. Residents interviewed by the publication compared the current situation to the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, referring to the mass displacement of Palestinians during the creation of Israel in 1948.
