Member of the Silwan Land Defense Committee Fakhri Abu Diyab has warned that 17 homes could be demolished by the end of next July in the east Jerusalem district of Silwan.

“98 homes have been threatened with demolition, including 17 notified of immediate demolition under the Israeli ‘Kaminitz’ law that prevents any possibility for appealing against it or freezing it at courts,” Abu Diyab said, pointing out that the 17 homes would be demolished at different dates until the end of next month.

These 17 homes belong to the families of Abu Diyab, Hamdan, Jalajel, Rajbi, Quwaider, Badran, Odeh, Shafi, Rajab, Abdul-Rahman, and Basheer.

The local official also said that a crew of police forces and municipal employees stormed al-Bustan neighborhood in Silwan on Monday (June 14) and handed the homeowners summonses for questioning from the Israeli municipality’s inspector, noting that the homeowners had refused to comply with previous Israeli decisions ordering them to demolish their own homes in 2018.

He affirmed that the Israeli municipality plans to demolish the entire neighborhood after it notified dozens of other residents of its intent to raze their homes during recent years and months, describing the intended demolitions as “part of the ethnic cleansing policy” pursued by Israel against the Palestinians in the holy city.