From a hillside overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City, a heavy‑duty excavator continues to tear into a Palestinian house in the Silwan neighbourhood, a scene that has become all too familiar for the area’s residents.
Since late 2023, the Israeli authorities have demolished 59 properties in the al‑Bustan area of Silwan, a sharp rise that comes at a time when global attention is focused on Gaza and the broader Middle East.
Fayez Awad, 58, who still sits in the only surviving floor of his home, says, “There is no future. They destroyed the future and everything else.” His sentiment captures the growing despair of families who have built homes only to have them razed.
Inflammatory policies from Jerusalem’s municipality aim to replace the area with a “biblically‑themed park” known as the King’s Garden. Legal orders, enforced by Israeli courts, accelerate the bulldozing in the narrow streets of al‑Bustan.
Pentagon‑approved permits for Palestinians are scarce. Bimkom reports that only 7% of new housing approvals in Jerusalem are for Palestinians, who comprise about 40% of the city’s population.
“We’re being told that in the coming months they will destroy the rest of the houses,” says activist Fakhri Abu Diab. His home was previously demolished; he now faces eviction from a makeshift caravan amid the rubble.
The dispute extends beyond homes to historic religious sites. In the Old City, a longstanding Palestinian family has been ordered to leave a traditional yeshiva they have lived in for generations. They now point to the lack of Palestinians’ rights in the city, arguing that international law is being ignored.
International voices echo complaints. The European Union’s latest statement called the situation in East Jerusalem “dire” and reiterated condemnation of Israel’s settlement policies.
Palestinians in Jerusalem continue to struggle for secure residency, while the city’s authorities explore massive projects, including building a large ultra‑Orthodox yeshiva at the entrance to Sheikh Jarrah and seizing properties near the al‑Aqsa mosque compound.
These escalating demolitions, evictions and religious‑political projects underline the ongoing conflict over Jerusalem’s identity and future governance.
