Israeli authorities demolished more than 260 Palestinian homes and structures in east Jerusalem in 2025, representing a 70% increase from three years earlier, according to Israeli anti-settlement group Ir Amim. At least 116 additional demolitions have occurred so far this year.

The surge in demolitions affects neighborhoods like al-Bustan in Silwan, where resident Fakhri Abu Diab lost his home to bulldozers in February 2024. Abu Diab, who had fought demolition orders in court since 2004, now lives with his wife in a mobile home set up amid the rubble of their former residence. Israeli authorities say the homes are being demolished because they were built without permits in areas not zoned for housing.

Israel captured east Jerusalem during the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians seek it as part of their future state. The United Nations and much of the international community consider the territory illegally occupied, while Israel considers all of Jerusalem its unified capital. Palestinians in annexed east Jerusalem are eligible for Israeli citizenship but must apply for it, unlike Jewish residents.

In nearby Batan al-Hawah neighborhood, Palestinian families face eviction as settlers move in under Israeli laws that allow Jews to reclaim properties owned by other Jews before the 1948 war. Zuhair al-Rajabi and his extended family received eviction orders in January after Israel's Supreme Court ruled against them following more than a decade of legal action. March marked the highest rate of state-led evictions in the neighborhood in decades.

Housing permits reflect the disparity in treatment: nearly 9,000 permits were approved for Jerusalem's Jewish residents last year compared to fewer than 700 for Palestinians, according to Israeli rights group Bimkom. Palestinians make up approximately 40% of Jerusalem's population and are concentrated in the eastern part of the city.

Daniel Luria, executive director of settler organization Ateret Cohanim, said the group works to help Jews return to what had been Jewish neighborhoods before the 20th century. Since 2004, around 50 Jewish families have moved into Batan al-Hawah, with more seeking to join them. The U.S. State Department said it expects Israeli authorities to respect due process and the rule of law in setting Jerusalem policy.