Activists say Israel tries to expel a whole Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem

"Fakhri Abu Diab, 62, has lived on the same property in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan all his life. But he doesn't know how much longer he will be able to stay. In the courtyard, there are geese in a pen and a massive mound of rubble. Two years ago, Israeli authorities demolished the house, saying it lacked proper building permits. It was his mother's house, the home where Abu Diab was born and grew up."

"While its original structure predated Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem on land captured from Jordan in 1967, Abu Diab later added rooms to accommodate his growing family. Those additions were considered illegal by the Jerusalem municipality. Residents and human rights groups say it is difficult or impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits in the area, leading them to build without permits. Abu Diab is an activist in Silwan fighting to preserve the neighborhood against the demolitions that have been going on for nearly two decades."

"Now that it's demolished, he and his wife are living in a small trailer he set up in a corner of the courtyard. He says he has received a new eviction notice from the Jerusalem municipality. "I want to be close to my memories, to my home, and they said it's not allowed," he says. "Why? Because they want to take our land and make cars parking and gardens for the settlers. You know they have a political agenda and they [do] not want us here.""

"Hundreds of Palestinians like Abu Diab are being pushed out of Silwan by Israeli authorities to make way for Israeli settlers, as well as Jewish religious and archaeological sites, according to residents and human rights advocates. Amid the piles of demolition rubble, new settler homes have sprouted. This is a flashpoint in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United Nations' International"

Fakhri Abu Diab, who has lived his entire life in Silwan, lost his family home after Israeli authorities demolished it for lacking proper building permits. The original structure existed before Israel’s 1967 occupation, but later additions were deemed illegal by the Jerusalem municipality. Residents and human rights groups say permits are difficult or impossible for Palestinians to obtain, leading to construction without permits. After the demolition, Abu Diab and his wife moved into a small trailer in the courtyard and received another eviction notice. He links the demolitions to efforts to take land for settler parking and gardens and to remove Palestinians from the area. New settler homes have appeared amid rubble in this flashpoint near Jerusalem’s Old City.

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