It was midday Monday when the so-called Jerusalem Municipality Planning Committee met to discuss and approve the Silwan Development Plan. This plan constituted the construction of the so-called national park south of Al Aqsa Mosque, but did not take into account the multitude of houses that would be demolished and the hundreds of Al Bustan residents that would be left homeless.

The so-called  Silwan District Development Plan does not only target Al Bustan but also the Batn Al Hawa neighborhood and 11555 project which effects mostly Wadi Hilweh neighbourhood. The repercussions are immensely detrimental to the community members of Silwan and even though the Municipality decrees this project the “soul of all projects,” it does little to appease the residents. Instead, the residents are enraged by the falsified information and feel betrayed yet their outcries against the project were shunned as Municipality guards tried to move many of the residents away to reduce public discontent. This decision also affected those outside of the Silwan community as the members of meretz party resigned their position in the Municipality coalition  as a result of the ratification of the Silwan Development Plan.

In addition, Abu Nasser stated ” the Municipality was focusing on the tourism background of the region and this is commensurate with  City of David settlement agenda”.