House Demolition in Silwan
Of all the Arab neighborhoods and villages in East Jerusalem, Silwan suffers the most from house demolitions. Its close vicinity to the old city and its historical significance make it the most sought-after piece of land for the Jewish settlers associations, and pose a continual threat of land dispossession.
In the site called “Ir David” (The city of David), the settlers have succeeded with the expropriation, and most of it is now in their hands. Gradually, the settlers expand to the nearby risings, where they cunningly arrogate Arab houses decreed for demolishing, by buying the houses from their Arab tenants.
The Law
In the upshot of the 1967 war, Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared it part of a Greater Jerusalem. This annexation breaches international law, which prohibits unilateral annexation. For this reason, the international community, including the United States, does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem, which is still considered as an occupied Palestinian territory.
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, article 53 reads: “Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons…is prohibited." Under this provision the practice of demolishing Palestinian houses is banned, as is the wholesale destruction of the Palestinian infrastructure.
 A demolished house in Ras Al-Amud, Silwan |
Current Situation
More than 50 houses in Silwan have been demolished in recent years. In the Al-Bustan area, 88 additional houses have received demolition orders. The pretext is illegal construction, although some of these houses have been standing there for almost a century. While in an official document from November 2004, the municipal architect writes that these houses are built on “open areas” which conceal archeological biblical monuments of great international and national importance, and therefore must be removed. Only a joint action by the village community and Israeli peace organizations has succeeded to temporarily postpone these orders. If these orders are executed, about 150 families or 800 people will be sent to the streets.
For more information and ways to assist, please visit the website of The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions at http://icahd.org
Watch a short item by Al-Jazeera English of house demolitions in East Jerusalem.