Israeli Authorities Order Eviction of Seven Rajabi Apartments in Silwan for Ateret Cohanim

Israeli occupation authorities ordered the eviction of seven Rajabi family apartments in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan, in occupied Jerusalem, WAFA reported on April 23, 2026.

“Decades of Israel seizing Palestinian land and demolishing Palestinian homes, often to make room for the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank”

Amnesty International

WAFA said officials from the so-called Israeli Enforcement Authority stormed the neighborhood and handed the family notices ordering them to evacuate the apartments in favor of the settler organization Ateret Cohanim.

Amnesty International

The authorities gave the families until May 17 to carry out the evacuations, warning that forced eviction would be implemented before May 25 if they fail to comply.

WAFA also said the eviction orders affect seven apartments housing multiple families, including those of Zuhair Rajabi (five members), Osama Rajabi (seven), Samer Rajabi (six), Mundhir Rajabi (seven), Hazem Rajabi (nine), Jadallah Rajabi (seven), and Fouad Rajabi (six), putting dozens of Palestinians at risk of displacement.

WAFA added that on March 24, Israeli forces had already raided the area and evicted 11 inhabited homes belonging to the Rajabi family, displacing around 65 people, and that colonists also took over the homes of the Youssef Basbous family of about 20 members.

The same WAFA report described Batn al-Hawa as located about 400 meters from Al-Aqsa Mosque and said it is one of the most heavily targeted areas in Silwan.

In a separate WAFA report dated December 14, 2025, the Palestinian news agency said three Jerusalemite families were forced to evacuate their homes in Batn al-Hawa due to pressures and decisions issued by Israeli occupation authorities in favor of Ateret Cohanim.

The eviction campaign in Silwan is presented across the sources as a process driven by court decisions and long-running legal claims tied to Ateret Cohanim.

Amnesty International said that in January 2025, an Israeli court ordered 27 families to be evicted from their home in Batn Al Hawa, in the village of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem, following a 10-year legal proceeding brought by Ateret Cohanim.

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Amnesty framed the broader pattern as part of “Decades of Israel seizing Palestinian land and demolishing Palestinian homes,” and said that since October 2023 forced displacement has risen sharply in the occupied West Bank, especially in East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Gaza Strip.

In the same Amnesty report, Zuheir Rajabi described his situation as a Palestinian threatened with displacement in Jerusalem, and Amnesty said his family was among those who received orders to evacuate Batn Al Hawa within six months.

The Times of Israël reported that at the end of last month, High Court Judge Alex Stein rejected a challenge filed by residents against the eviction of 32 households in Batn al-Hawa, and that the Supreme Court upheld a new series of eviction orders.

The Times of Israël said the families, numbering more than 130 people in total, were awaiting final eviction orders and were preparing to be forcibly evicted by the authorities by mid-March, or even earlier.

Vietnam.vn added that Rajabi’s family has lived here since 1967 and bought the land from a Jordanian officer, and it said that based on the Israeli Supreme Court ruling he provided, he and his brothers have until mid-March, at the end of Ramadan, to relocate.

Residents and rights groups described the evictions as both personal and systematic, while Israeli officials and settler-linked figures were quoted with opposing characterizations of the families.

“Today, Rajabi's house is surrounded by buildings flying the Israeli flag, a sign of appropriation by settlers who began acquiring properties in the area in 2004”

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Amnesty International included a direct statement from Zuheir Rajabi: "I am at home, and I will never leave": Forced displacement of Palestinians by Israel, and Amnesty said his family was among those who received orders to evacuate Batn Al Hawa within six months.

Amnesty also quoted Rajabi describing his home and history, saying, "My little corner of paradise. My house in Batn Al Hawa, though modest and old, holds a precious place in my heart."

Amnesty further described pressure tactics, quoting Rajabi that “Take the money and go live an easy life, they told us,” and said border police officials “burst into my home, damaged my belongings and arrested me.”

Amnesty’s account says Rajabi was “handcuffed me, beat me, and broke three ribs,” and that for about three months he could barely move.

In the Times of Israël report, Zuhair Rajabi told The Times of Israel on Thursday, "It’s final, absolutely final," and "There is no longer any recourse."

The Times of Israël also quoted Daniel Luria, the executive director of Ateret Cohanim, describing Silwan’s Palestinians as 'illegal squatters' and saying he was working to rectify a historical injustice.

The sources differ in how they describe the same eviction process, including the legal basis, the characterization of Palestinians, and the emphasis placed on violence or court procedure.

WAFA’s reporting emphasizes eviction orders and deadlines, saying Israeli authorities gave families until May 17 and warned forced eviction would be implemented before May 25, while also describing earlier raids and displacement in Batn al-Hawa.

Amnesty International

In contrast, the Times of Israël frames the latest development as a Supreme Court decision upholding eviction orders, with High Court Judge Alex Stein rejecting a challenge against the eviction of 32 households, and it quotes residents describing the situation as beyond appeal.

The Times of Israël also includes a settler-linked perspective through Daniel Luria, who called Palestinians “illegal squatters,” and it describes Ateret Cohanim’s goal as strengthening Jewish presence in East Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods.

Amnesty International’s framing is broader and rights-focused, describing “Decades of Israel seizing Palestinian land and demolishing Palestinian homes,” and it highlights alleged excessive force and arrests, including Rajabi’s account of being “handcuffed me, beat me, and broke three ribs.”

Vietnam.vn, while also describing eviction pressure, adds a political framing by quoting Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s statement that the goal was to 'bury' the idea of a Palestinian state, and it says if Palestinians refuse, Israeli armed police will carry out forced evictions and construction equipment will demolish their homes.

The WAFA December 14, 2025 report adds specific medical detail, saying an ambulance had to transport Awad (29), who is in a coma, as well as his daughter (24), who is disabled, during the evacuation of Umm Nasser Al-Rajabi and her children.

The sources describe immediate next steps and looming deadlines for families in Batn al-Hawa and Silwan, alongside broader consequences for displacement and legal recourse.

“Jerusalem, December 14, 2025 (WAFA) – Three Jerusalemite families were forced to evacuate their homes yesterday, Sunday, in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in Silwan, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, due to pressures and decisions issued by the Israeli occupation authorities in favor of the colonial association Ateret Cohanim”

وكالة الانباء والمعلومات الفلسطينية

WAFA said the families given notices in the April 23, 2026 eviction orders had until May 17 to evacuate, with forced eviction to be implemented before May 25 if they fail to comply, and it said the move came despite a legal appeal submitted by the family to freeze the orders, which has yet to receive a response.

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The WAFA December 14, 2025 report said the Kayed Al-Rajabi building is also under threat, with occupation authorities having given the families until January 5, 2026 as a deadline to carry out the eviction decisions, and it said the Israeli Supreme Court is currently examining five cases awaiting a decision on appeals filed by residents.

The Times of Israël reported that residents were preparing to be forcibly evicted by the authorities by mid-March, or even earlier, after the Supreme Court upheld eviction orders, and it quoted Zuhair Rajabi saying, "It’s final, absolutely final," and "There is no longer any recourse."

Amnesty International tied the near-term threat to a longer pattern, saying that since October 2023 forced displacement has risen sharply in East Jerusalem and in the occupied Gaza Strip, where Israel has forcibly displaced the vast majority of the population and has recently threatened to permanently seize the territory and subject the population to forcible transfer or expulsion.

Vietnam.vn added an enforcement timeline, stating that if Palestinians refuse to leave as ordered, Israeli armed police will carry out forced evictions and construction equipment will demolish their homes.

Across the accounts, the stakes are repeatedly described in terms of displacement from homes and the ability to challenge eviction orders through courts, with Amnesty describing legal proceedings as mentally and financially draining and the WAFA reports describing appeals and Supreme Court review.