With bulldozers and bricks instead of bullets, Israel cements its control of Jerusalem

Almost 60 years after the 1967 war, Israel is changing East Jerusalem not through battles but through demolitions and settlement expansion. In Silwan's Al Bustan area, 115 Palestinian homes with 1,500 people are at risk of being razed to make way for a Bible theme park. Palestinians make up 40% of Jerusalem's population but only 7% of new housing is approved for them. New settlements like Yatziv block Palestinian towns from expanding. Tenders open June 1 for 3,400 settler homes in E1, which would cut the West Bank off from Jerusalem. Meanwhile, land registration rules let Israel register 82% of newly settled land in East Jerusalem in its own name, leaving Palestinians with just 1%. Quiet but alarming shifts. https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/05/15/with-bulldozers-and-bricks-instead-of-bullets-israel-cements-its-control-of-jerusalem/