Occupation notifies immediate demolition of 14 homes in Al-Bustan neighborhood in Jerusalem as part of a plan to establish 'Biblical Gardens'

SadaNews - The Israeli occupation authorities notified today, Sunday, of the immediate demolition of 14 homes in the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Silwan, south of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, under the pretext of building without a permit, in a new escalatory step that falls within a systematic policy targeting the Palestinian presence in one of the most sensitive and strategic locations around Al-Aqsa.

The Jerusalem Governorate clarified in a statement issued this evening that the homes threatened with demolition shelter Jerusalemite families, and their targeting comes within an Israeli plan aimed at converting the lands of Al-Bustan neighborhood into what the occupation authorities call "Biblical Gardens," in a blatant violation of property and housing rights, threatening the fate of about 120 Jerusalemite citizens, amid a continuous aggressive policy affecting their lands and homes which have existed for decades, despite the owners incurring tens of thousands of dollars in fines and violations imposed by the occupation municipality during those years.

The governorate indicated that these notifications come as part of a series of escalating measures against Al-Bustan neighborhood, as the occupation municipality notified the residents last January of its intention to confiscate large areas of the neighborhood's land, including about 5.7 dunums on the first of January, in addition to one dunum and 100 meters on the 18th of the same month, under the pretext of implementing "landscaping and parking projects" on lands it claimed were empty, despite them belonging to Jerusalemite homes that were demolished last year, in a clear manifestation of the "empty land" policy that is used as a deceptive legal tool to legitimize confiscation and impose a permanent colonial reality.

The Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that targeting Al-Bustan neighborhood falls within the broader Israeli plan to Judaize the city of Jerusalem, which is based on two intertwined axes: altering the demographic reality in favor of settlers, and tightening geographical control over the surroundings of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, emphasizing that the town of Silwan represents the southern defensive belt for Al-Aqsa, and the historical guardian of its walls, and that any assault on it is a direct assault on the historical and legal status quo in the holy city.

About 1500 Jerusalemite citizens live in Al-Bustan neighborhood in approximately 120 homes, facing a systematic and multifaceted organized attack, manifested in a direct threat of demolition, as about 80% of the neighborhood's homes are classified as threatened with demolition and are under immediate demolition orders pursuant to what is known as the "Kaminitz Law," including renewing violations for homes whose owners had previously paid fines before 2017.

The Al-Bustan neighborhood has also been experiencing unprecedented escalation since October 7, 2023, which included preventing prayers at the sit-in tent established by residents and later demolishing it, preventing media coverage and local organizations' activities, in addition to the demolition of more than 35 homes since that date, as well as a systematic daily pressure policy involving closing roads, setting up military checkpoints, arbitrary arrests, and imposing exorbitant municipal taxes, in addition to a quasi-official role for settlers in harassing residents through photography, filing demolition lawsuits, and creating continuous intimidating atmospheres.

In the same context, the Israeli occupation forces forced brothers Kamel and Karam Mohammed Abu Sawy today, Sunday, to evacuate their homes in the Wadi Qadum neighborhood of Silwan, in preparation for their forced demolition.

Local sources reported that the two homes house 15 members of the Abu Sawy family, facing the danger of demolition amid the occupation's policy that imposes strict restrictions on granting building permits for Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem.

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