Israeli settlers seize residential building in occupied East Jerusalem
Israeli settlers seize residential building in occupied East Jerusalem
Dozens of Israeli settlers belonging to a far-right Jewish group took over a residential building in the Silwan neighbourhood on Thursday.
2 min read
The building is the seventh and largest settler outpost in Batn al-Hawa [AFP]
Israeli settlers belonging to the far-right Jewish group Ateret Cohanim have seized a residential building in occupied East Jerusalem in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The group claims to have bought the property in the Silwan neighbourhood.
At least 60 settlers stormed the Batn al-Hawa area in Silwan at approximately 2:30am and took control of the residential building, raising the Israeli flag from it, according to a statement by the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre in Silwan.
The 12-apartment block is thought to belong to Jamal Sarhan, a Palestinian. The settlers took control of four of its five storeys after a Palestinian resident refused to vacate his apartment, according to the statement.
The settlers - who brought their belongings with them as they moved into the building - were escorted by Israeli troops, reported the Palestinian Ma'an News Agency.
Earlier this month, a lawyer representing the Ateret Cohanim group reportedly issued eviction notices upon three buildings owned by the Sarhan family in Batn al-Hawa, claiming that the land on which the homes were built belong to three Jewish men from Yemen who lived there before 1948.
Peace Now, an Israeli settlement monitoring and activist group, called the move part of a "strategic takeover", adding that it was part of a larger scheme to change the demography of the neighbourhood.
The five-storey building is now the seventh and largest settler outpost in Batn al-Hawa. The first was created in 2005 and is known as Beit Yonatan.
Last year, Ateret Cohanim secretly bought and renovated a building in occupied East Jerusalem near the Damascus and Flowers gates of the Old City. The group turned the building in the heart of the Arab commercial area into a religious learning centre for the Jewish faith.
Following the purchase, emails between Ateret Cohanim and its supporters were leaked to Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, detailing the organisation's plans for the future.
In one of the emails, the group's executive director said the purchase was "the first acquisition of its kind in the area" and admitted the group's work was "being done quietly under the radar".
Israel occupied and annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, and Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are deemed illegal under international law.
The group claims to have bought the property in the Silwan neighbourhood.
At least 60 settlers stormed the Batn al-Hawa area in Silwan at approximately 2:30am and took control of the residential building, raising the Israeli flag from it, according to a statement by the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre in Silwan.
The 12-apartment block is thought to belong to Jamal Sarhan, a Palestinian. The settlers took control of four of its five storeys after a Palestinian resident refused to vacate his apartment, according to the statement.
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Peace Now, an Israeli settlement monitoring and activist group, called the move part of a 'strategic takeover' |
The settlers - who brought their belongings with them as they moved into the building - were escorted by Israeli troops, reported the Palestinian Ma'an News Agency.
Earlier this month, a lawyer representing the Ateret Cohanim group reportedly issued eviction notices upon three buildings owned by the Sarhan family in Batn al-Hawa, claiming that the land on which the homes were built belong to three Jewish men from Yemen who lived there before 1948.
Peace Now, an Israeli settlement monitoring and activist group, called the move part of a "strategic takeover", adding that it was part of a larger scheme to change the demography of the neighbourhood.
The five-storey building is now the seventh and largest settler outpost in Batn al-Hawa. The first was created in 2005 and is known as Beit Yonatan.
Last year, Ateret Cohanim secretly bought and renovated a building in occupied East Jerusalem near the Damascus and Flowers gates of the Old City. The group turned the building in the heart of the Arab commercial area into a religious learning centre for the Jewish faith.
Following the purchase, emails between Ateret Cohanim and its supporters were leaked to Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, detailing the organisation's plans for the future.
In one of the emails, the group's executive director said the purchase was "the first acquisition of its kind in the area" and admitted the group's work was "being done quietly under the radar".
Israel occupied and annexed East Jerusalem in 1967, and Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories are deemed illegal under international law.
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