Jerusalemite Family Members Refuse to Leave Their Homes Despite Israeli Eviction Ruling
(AWP) - An Israeli court has issued a ruling to evict dozens of Palestinians from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood in the East Jerusalem district of Silwan. The residents, who are from the Rajabi family, insist on remaining in their homes, where they say have lived for decades.
They are waiting for a decision by Israel’s Supreme Court on an appeal they have filed.
Footage from the Arab World Press (AWP) showed Israeli soldiers in Batn al-Hawa next to the houses likely to be evacuated and demolished.
Kayed al-Rajabi, the owner of one of the houses, said that 75 homes are affected by the evacuation order, with 1,100 people under the threat of eviction.
He said, “We will remain steadfast despite the Zionist Israeli violations and racism of the extremist government. We are here on our lands and will not leave until we die. At the conciliation court, the lawyer for the settlers offered to give me a blank cheque to write whatever figure I want, whether in dollars or Israeli shekels. Of course, I refused. This land is soaked with the blood of martyrs.”
Nasser al-Rajabi, another homeowner threatened with eviction, said he was born in his home 52 years ago and does not expect the Israeli courts to make a decision that will be fair to the Palestinian owners.
He said, “They filed a lawsuit claiming that these lands and the houses we live in belonged to them since the Ottoman period. This is what they are basing their case on. But, as you know, these are sham courts. They are just for show – from the prosecutors to the judges and lawyers. They gave us evacuation orders and we appealed to the District court but it gave us the same orders. We know how this goes.”
He added, “As for what we think about the future, all we can think of is staying in our homes. We are not thinking about leaving. All I am thinking about now is how to stay in, and live in, my house.”
Salem Ghayt, the owner of a house facing eviction, expressed hope that Israel’s Supreme Court would hand down a fair verdict.
He said, “We are going to the Supreme Court and I hope the verdict will be in our favor. We have been living here for so long and they claim these lands belonged to them 180 years ago.”