East Jerusalem Area Sees Influx of Jewish Settlers
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Version 0 of 1. Jewish settlers moved early Tuesday into 26 apartments in seven buildings in a politically delicate, predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Activists opposed to the move described it as the largest influx of settlers into the area in decades. The neighborhood, Silwan — just south of the Old City in territory Israel captured in the 1967 war then annexed — is home to about 50,000 Palestinians. It is also the site of archaeological ruins believed to be the City of David, a Jewish historical landmark. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, and most of the world considers it to be illegally occupied. A private investment company bought the properties over several years with the help of Elad, a settler organization dedicated to preventing any political division of Jerusalem. The Jewish population in the area is now expected to increase to 700 from 500, according to an Elad representative. |