Silwan (, ) is a predominantly
Palestinian neighborhood on the outskirts of the
Old City of Jerusalem. Forty
Jewish families also live in the area. Silwan is located in
East Jerusalem. After 1948 war, the village
fell under Jordanian occupation. Jordanian rule lasted until the 1967
Six-Day War, since which it has been occupied by
Israel. Silwan is administered as part of the
Jerusalem Municipality, and is part of the J1 sub-district of the
Jerusalem Governorate. In 1980, Israel, without formally annexing it, incorporated East Jerusalem (of which Silwan is a part) into its claimed capital city
Jerusalem through the
Jerusalem Law, a
basic law in Israel. The move is considered by the international community as
illegal under international law.According to
Haaretz, the Israeli government has worked closely with the right-wing settler organization
Ateret Cohanim to evict Palestinians living on property whether classified formerly as (property pledged to a temple) or not, especially in the Batan el-Hawa area of Silwan.