| CORRECTION: Contrary to what was previously reported in the alert issued November 30, the eight families in Batan al-Hawa who received eviction notices are at risk of being forcibly removed as early as December 18. |
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On November 29, the Execution Office delivered notices of eviction to both the Duweik and Shweiki families (total of eight nuclear families), according to which they must vacate their homes in Batan al-Hawa, Silwan within 20 days of the notice's receipt (by 18 December 2020). See location of homes marked by red circles on map below.
According to the notice, if the families do not vacate their homes within the specified time-frame, they can be subject to forcible removal any time between December 18, 2020-January 1, 2021.
Immediate intervention is needed to block the displacement of a total of 45 people, at imminent risk of being forcibly evicted from their homes in Batan al-Hawa in as early as two weeks.
In the case of the Shweiki family (three nuclear families) there may be the possibility of suspending the execution office’s eviction notice based on a provision within the court’s decision on their case, however, it requires further clarity to ascertain its feasibility. Ir Amim will work to obtain further clarification and update accordingly. The attorneys for both families are currently in the process of filing an urgent appeal to the Supreme Court. |
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Number 3 marks the Duweik family home and Number 6 marks the Shweiki family home
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| BACKGROUND
Delivery of the eviction notices comes swiftly after the Jerusalem District Court rejected both families' appeals over the past few weeks, ruling on behalf of the Ateret Cohanim settler organization.
Through its management of the Benvenisti Trust - a Jewish trust which held title to properties in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Batan al-Hawa- Ateret Cohanim is advancing mass eviction proceedings against Palestinian families in the area based on exploitation of the Legal and Administrative Matters Law of 1970. This discriminatory legal mechanism enables Jews to reclaim assets lost during the war of 1948 via the Israel General Custodian, while no parallel legal provision exists for Palestinians who lost property in West Jerusalem. See Ir Amim’s and Peace Now’s joint report, “Broken Trust” for further details and analysis.
Since 2015, 14 families have already lost their homes with over 80 other households facing eviction lawsuits filed by Ateret Cohanim, placing some 600-700 individuals of one community at risk of displacement.
If Ateret Cohanim is successful, Batan al-Hawa (number 25 on map below) is anticipated to become the largest settler enclave in a Palestinian neighborhood in the Old City Basin, with the outcome of significantly tightening the emerging ring of state-sponsored settlement activity around the Old City and severely undermining the possibility of a future political resolution on Jerusalem. |
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