Fakhri Abu Diab, 62, has lived on the same property in Silwan, just south of Jerusalem’s Old City, his whole life. Two years ago Israeli authorities demolished his family house, saying additions he made lacked permits. Abu Diab now sleeps in a small trailer in the courtyard and says he has been given a new eviction notice.
Abu Diab’s case is one of many that residents and human rights groups point to as evidence that Israeli authorities are pushing Palestinian families out of Silwan to make way for Israeli settlers, religious sites and archaeological projects. Silwan is home to about 20,000 Palestinians, and amid piles of rubble activists have documented newly built or occupied settler homes.
Human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, and U.N. human rights experts say the demolitions, evictions and administrative measures amount to a campaign to remove Palestinians from the neighborhood. B’Tselem has accused Israel of trying to expel “an entire neighborhood,” and says demolitions have intensified in recent years. In the al-Bustan area of Silwan, B’Tselem reports 48 homes demolished since 2023 and about 1,450 people now facing expulsion.
Advocates say the process relies on a number of legal and administrative tools: limits on building permits for Palestinian residents, zoning and planning rules, protracted court cases, and demolition orders for structures deemed illegal. Palestinians and rights groups say it is extremely difficult or impossible for Palestinians to obtain the permits needed, leaving them vulnerable to orders tearing down additions or whole homes.
Sarit Michaeli, B’Tselem’s international outreach director, describes what she calls the “Judaization” of Silwan as driven by a discriminatory, skewed legal system that allows settler groups to remove large numbers of Palestinian families. Activists say some settler associations receive explicit government support, and that the issue has accelerated under Israel’s right-wing government.
Israeli officials and settler leaders reject the accusation that there is a policy of expulsion. Arieh King, a deputy mayor of Jerusalem and a leader in the settler movement, disputed the charge and framed the issue as property disputes, accusing critics of hypocrisy. Israeli authorities maintain that demolitions and evictions are carried out under municipal law, for structures built without permits or on land purchased under previous legal transactions.
Archaeology and tourism also play a role in the dispute. The so-called City of David archaeological park sits in Silwan and is presented by some Israeli groups as evidence of a longstanding Jewish presence in the area. Activists say archaeological work and the development of heritage sites are used to justify removing Palestinian residents and to advance a particular historical narrative.
Yonatan Mizrachi, an Israeli archaeologist who monitors settlement activity, says archaeological finds are sometimes used to bolster settler claims about ancestral ties to the land. Critics argue the site’s presentation often emphasizes a single narrative and that visitors are given tours with biblical themes. Supporters of the park, including some visitors, say the artifacts demonstrate an ancient Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
For residents, the impact is personal and immediate. Omar Abu Rajab, 60, told reporters he had been ordered to remove the top floor of his home within weeks. Unable to pay municipal bulldozer fees, he has been dismantling it himself to avoid a forced demolition. He said he and his family have nowhere else to go and that they have appealed to international bodies to intervene.
Israeli and international legal context is contested. In 2024 the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion concluding that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem is unlawful; Israel rejects that finding and regards East Jerusalem as part of its undivided capital. The annexation is not recognized by most countries.
Local activists and some Israeli peace groups say the issue has drawn less attention abroad since other conflicts have preoccupied world powers. Angela Godfrey-Goldstein, an Israeli peace activist working to prevent forced demolitions, described the changes in Silwan as a “horrible, sinister cause of pain” for displaced families, noting the contrast between well-tended settler compounds and the demolished Palestinian homes nearby.
On the ground, new eviction orders continue to arrive. Local reporting notes recent orders targeting seven apartments housing more than 50 people from one extended family, including many children, giving them until the end of the month to leave before demolition. Residents say they have lodged complaints with international organizations and foreign governments, but feel their options are limited.
The dispute over Silwan reflects broader, longstanding tensions over Jerusalem’s future: Palestinians seek part of the city for a hoped-for independent state, while Israel asserts sovereignty over a unified Jerusalem. In Silwan, those geopolitical debates play out through court cases, municipal orders, archaeological projects and the daily lives of families who say they risk losing their homes and history in the neighborhood they call home.