Israeli security forces accompanied settlers into the Batn al-Hawa sector of Silwan, a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, on Wednesday to forcibly displace eleven Palestinian families from their residences. The operation, facilitated by the Ateret Cohanim organization which promotes Jewish settlement in Palestinian areas, resulted in the seizure of thirteen apartments.
Documented video evidence shows settlers discarding Palestinian belongings from windows and hoisting Israeli flags atop the captured buildings. According to the Israeli rights organization B’Tselem, approximately 2,200 Silwan residents currently face imminent threat of forced displacement.
The human rights group condemned these actions as ‘ethnic cleansing,’ alleging the Israeli government is exploiting international focus on tensions with Iran to advance settlement expansion into territories captured during the 1967 war. B’Tselem characterized these measures as systematic, institutionalized violence designed to alter demographic balances through discriminatory laws and achieve ‘Judaization’ of sensitive areas.
Concurrently, escalating violence erupted across the West Bank as dozens of Israeli settlers conducted coordinated attacks against Palestinian communities. Security footage from Saturday shows multiple structures ablaze in the villages of Jalud, Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr and Qaryut, with residents attempting emergency evacuations.
The Israeli military confirmed numerous arson attacks by settlers occurred Sunday night. Medical services reported three Palestinians injured from settler assaults in Jalud, with six others wounded near Jenin. The Palestinian news agency Wafa documented additional injuries, noting no arrests have been made in connection with the violence.