East Jerusalem: forced displacement and territorial fragmentation

The pace of forced displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem is accelerating, with demolitions and evictions in Silwan neighbourhood south of the Old City. Simultaneously, Israel is proceeding with the unlawful expansion of settlements in the so-called E1 area, which sits in the heart of three of the most significant Palestinian urban centres: East Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem.

As confirmed by the International Court of Justice in July 2024, Israel’s policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including forced evictions and extensive house demolitions, are contrary to the prohibition of forcible transfer under the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Court called on Israel to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including ceasing all new settlement activities immediately and evacuating all settlers from the territory.

Driven out of the Old City basin:

Last year, the Israeli High Court ruled against several claims by Palestinian residents of Batn Al Hawa neighbourhood in Silwan in favour of the settler organisation “Ateret Cohanim” and denied Palestinians further avenues of legal appeal. This has since accelerated the eviction of Palestinians from their homes.

Last week, Israeli authorities handed final eviction notices to 32 more households, mostly from the Rajabi extended family, making the displacement of 250 Palestinians imminent. Many additional eviction proceedings are ongoing at the lower court level.  Collectively, some 700 Palestinian residents continue to face the threat of eviction in Silwan.

“I am convinced that there is no hope anymore. In the past, sometimes the courts ruled in our favour. Now there is no chance,” said Zuhair Rajabi, a longtime community leader and organiser, and the designated spokesperson of more than 80 households in Silwan — all under threat of eviction. The imminent displacement of his family would be one of several generational displacements his ancestors have suffered since 1948.

Nasser Rajabi, another resident of Batn Al Hawa in Silwan, was evicted with his family in December 2025. He is now forced to pay expensive rent in another part of East Jerusalem to avoid “going behind the Wall” in other parts of the West Bank.

“I have family outside the Wall who never succeeded in visiting Jerusalem. If I relocate to the outer West Bank, I will lose my Jerusalem ID, my health insurance, and my access to Jerusalem,” he said to the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Evictions typically result in the transfer of Palestinian homes to Israeli settlers, further eroding Palestinian presence immediately adjacent to the Old City. Some homes are taken over by Israeli authorities to make way for settlement projects, which currently include a tourist park, with a cable car line that would connect West Jerusalem to the Old City.

 “After 7 October 2023, things got worse, and there is a lot of fear. Even complaining is no longer possible. Now, we keep quiet,” Nasser Rajabi said. 

Expanding settlements

While East Jerusalem’s historic neighbourhoods are being systematically emptied of Palestinians, settlement expansion around the city is deepening its isolation and disrupting the territorial continuity of Palestinian existence in the occupied West Bank.

On 10 December, Israeli authorities published tenders for the construction of 3,401 settlement units in the E1 area.

On 8 January, Israeli authorities announced the imminent construction of a road intended to reroute Palestinian traffic away from the E1 area, while exclusively reserving the main arterial Route 1 for Israeli traffic. Israeli authorities notified the Palestinian communities of Al Ezariyeh, Abu Dis, Sawahreh, Jabal Al-Baba, and Wadi Jemil that would be affected by the construction, and provided a 45-day window to submit objections.  The project has been referred to by the Israeli government as the “sovereignty road” and the “fabric of life” road, while human rights and anti-occupation activists describe it as an “annexation” or apartheid” road.

The cumulative effect of settlement expansion and road rerouting would disastrously bar Palestinian access to the E1 area, sever East Jerusalem from the West Bank, fragment north-south continuity, deepen racial segregation, and force the displacement of 18 longstanding communities.

Cementing annexation

Senior Israeli officials have repeatedly made statements indicating that displacement and settlement expansion, particularly in the E1 area, reflect a stated policy to apply sovereignty over the West Bank, consolidate annexation and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

On 11 September 2025, in the signing ceremony for a framework agreement to expand the Ma’ale Adumim settlement into the E1 area, the Israeli Prime Minister said: “There will be no Palestinian state. This place is ours.”

“Across the occupied West Bank, we are seeing unprecedented rates of forced displacement, land seizures, settler violence, and settlement expansion, further entrenching annexation, and thwarting Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” said Ajith Sunghay, the Head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. “The international community must act now to push for an end to these flagrant violations of international law, and to advance the realisation of Palestinians’ human rights.”