Zionism’s Massive Step in Judaizing and Ghettoizing Jerusalem and its Old City: Silwan and the Planned Eradication of Al Bustan Credit: The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign. Date: June 26th, 2005.
Silwan is one of the Jerusalem neighborhoods most threatened with Judaization, with continuous settler attacks and occupation of its houses. Just last year in Silwan, in March 2004, settlers occupied two buildings that together comprise of 12 flats, added to the houses and lands in Silwan already taken over by settlers during previous years, a large part of which are located in Wadi Hilwa, which overlooks Bustan and is adjacent to the Old City. The settlements in Silwan---caravans and occupied houses—are located in the middle of the people’s houses, and are as well a short distance from each other, making clear their function of ultimately turning the entire neighborhood into a settlement.
In April 2005, the Occupation Forces and its municipality in Jerusalem declared its plan to demolish some 122 houses in both the areas of Bustan and Wadi Hilwa. Demolishing these houses is part of the Occupation’s plan to “evacuate” and expropriate all lands surrounding the Old City, in the closest hills and mountains surrounding the Old City that include Tur, Silwan and Abu Tur, along with other areas. The planned settlements are to, as well, comprise of car parks, recreational and commercial areas.
Above: Al Bustan, Silwan, Jerusalem, located in this valley, where 88 homes are under immediate threat of demolition, including the homes in this photo, and where four homes have already been demolished. The Occupation’s continued policy of targeting Jerusalemites has sought to make it impossible for people to find housing and build, with the goal of forcing Palestinians that live in the city into ghettos as part of the Occupation's creeping plan to forcefully impoverish, enslave and expel Palestinians. Close to 1,000 people will be expelled from their homes under the Occupation’s plans to eradicate the entire presence of Palestinians in this area and to make way for settlement expansion.
Above: Settlers have and continue to take over numerous Palestinian homes and lands at the western entrance of Silwan, adjacent to the Old City. In this photo, the Occupation has set-up a settlement immediately upon entering Silwan, stamping it with Zionist slogans such as “City of David Visitors Center”. The Occupation is preparing this area for what seems to be a settler-tourist point that overlooks the Bustan area and will eventually link to it, including being connected to the newly built pedestrian tunnel just over Al Bustan. There is a massive crane just behind this settlement building which has been working non-stop.
Above: Settlements—houses and lands occupied by settlers—can be found from the western entrance of Silwan--Wadi Halue—leading until the valley of Al Bustan, and beyond. These settlement-caravans as well as the occupied home are located on the main road of the Silwan entrance leading down the valley.
Above: Yet another settlement in Silwan, this one directly overlooking the Bustan area and just meters away from other settlements like the one in the previous photo
Above: The Occupation is currently constructing a tunnel in Silwan under this area here, and has already begun constructing a settlement structure as seen in the back of the picture. The pedestrian tunnel seeks to guarantee settlement expansion in the area as well as support the Occupation’s tourist industry by bringing this area nearer to the Old City. Particularly in and around the Old City the Occupation has repeatedly initiated the digging of tunnels to control and confiscate. The owner of this land has remained steadfast in keeping his lands while the Occupation and its settlers continue to place massive pressure on him and his family in order to control the whole area; while, ultimately, this has not deterred the Occupation from continuing to build the tunnel. Just to the left of the area seen in this photo the Occupation has already confiscated and cynically “beautified” an area that will be another so-called “vista” point.
Above: This bypass in Silwan is currently being completed, and is located just above one end of the Bustan area, and merging with the road that leads to Wadi Halue. This along with other planned bypasses will further the Occupation’s control and presence in the area, if not totally and forcefully detaching the entire western part of Silwan from the rest of it. This bypass, which runs north-south towards the Green Line, is yet another reality of the Occupation’s plan to further its stranglehold of eastern Jerusalem.
Above: Tourists visiting settlements, in this case Occupation digs of archeological areas that are presented and have been set-up as an integral part of Zionist propaganda for this area. As one of Silwan’s residents stated clearly: their archeological authorities exist to give another pretense to the colonial project. It has nothing to do with what is actually here. Our area here will always have historic sites but they just pick and choose depending on where they want to confiscate and then they begin to dig. Their different institutions all work together to serve their common goal. The Occupation plans massive destruction and construction in the area for various settlements and which will include among others buildings, promenades, and tunnels. Tourist buses, as part of the Zionist tourist industry, already have a regular presence in this area.
Above: The Occupation has polluted this entire part of Silwan with signs to make clear its control of the area and planned expansion, and to include the demarcation of various areas it seeks to control. From the signs alone it is clear the extent to which the Occupation plans to take over the area.
Above: The Old City and Al Aqsa Mosque, as seen from Silwan and which are located immediately adjacent to the neighborhood’s western entrance. Much of the entrance to Silwan is already controlled by settlers and its settlement of “City of David”. The parking lot that is a part of the settlement has been set up to facilitate settler arrival and travel in the area and Silwan in particular. Construction of this settlement is taking place intensively and everyday, which will be the so-called gateway to all the settlements in Silwan.
Above: Occupation Forces in one of the hilltop settlements in Silwan which overlooks the Bustan area as well as most of Silwan. The crane in the backdrop is constructing portions of the so-called “City of David” settlements, therefore clearly linking the Old City settlements with the Silwan settlements reaching all the way to the valley of Silwan-Al Bustan.
Above: The homes of Al Bustan under threat of massive demolition. The demolition of 88 homes would mean one of the single largest demolition in Jerusalem since the 1967 Occupation. All of Silwan continues to be threatened by colonial settlement and expulsion.
Above: A map showing the area of Silwan threatened with demolition and settlement expansion, including an indicator of the area in which settlements already exist. As highlighted on the map, Silwan as well as the adjacent villages of Tur and Ras Al Amud will be on the western side of the Wall, as Jerusalem is being isolated from the rest of the West Bank, in the Occupation’s continued plans to control the city. With most of Jerusalem outside the Walled-in areas, it is expected that the Apartheid Wall and therefore the isolation and ghettoization of Jerusalem, will act as a springboard for increasing land confiscation, settlement expansion and expulsion in the area.
