Protests erupt Israel begins demolition in Jerusalem’s Silwan

On Tuesday, Israel bulldozed a Palestinian business in the Silwan neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, sparking clashes between police and protesters who accused authorities of discriminatory building permit enforcement in the holy city.

Palestinians want a future state in East Jerusalem, which Israel took in a 1967 conflict. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital, a stance that is not recognised internationally, and has pushed the settlement of Jews in primarily Palestinian regions.

Harbi Rajabi’s butcher shop in the neighborhood, which is overshadowed by Al-Aqsa Mosque, was leveled by a bulldozer escorted by Israeli police. Mahmoud Basit’s shop is one of at least eight properties set for demolition, according to residents. Many had reportedly resided there for decades, even before 1967.

Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Arieh King claimed demolition orders had been issued for “about 20” buildings in Silwan, which Israel refers to by its Hebrew name Shiloach.

Israeli forces also fired rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse angry Palestinians amid calls through mosque loudspeakers for residents to gather to protect their homes, witnesses said.

On June 7, the Jerusalem municipality issued a series of demolition orders to residents of the al-Bustan area in Silwan.

The 13 families affected, consisting of some 130 people, were given 21 days to evacuate and demolish their houses themselves. Failure to do so would mean the municipality would destroy the houses and families would have to cover the demolition costs – an estimated $6,000.

Residents of al-Bustan have been warned to demolish over 90 homes under the guise of building without a permit since 2005, in order to make way for an Israeli settler organisation that wants to turn the land into a national park and connect it to the archaeological City of David region.

Both home demolitions and court-ordered forced displacements are strategies used to evict Palestinian people, according to Grassroots Jerusalem, a Palestinian NGO.

Palestinian rights group Al-Haq claimed in a statement earlier this month that while Palestinians make up the majority of the population in East Jerusalem, “Israeli zoning regulations have earmarked 35 percent of the land area for the establishment of illegal colonies by Israeli settlers.”

Another 52% of the property has been designated as “green areas” and “unplanned areas” where construction is prohibited, according to the report.