Around 1,000 Jewish settlers now live among 31,000 Palestinians in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, taking over homes that have been inhabited by Muslim families for decades or even centuries, and flying Israeli flags from the walls and rooftops of their properties.
They are the frontline fighters in a broader battle – backed by the Israeli government, city authorities and security services – to ensure Jewish control of Jerusalem and to drive its Palestinian population down to a minimum.
Twelve members of the Najib family – eight adults and four children – live in the three rooms of their first-floor apartment on El-Wad street. Ebtahaj Najib, 58, moved into the house on the day she married her cousin in 1973 and all nine of her children were born and brought up in the house, including her 38-year-old son Youssef. Her husband died eight years ago.
By custom, Palestinian extended families live together or close by, but there is insufficient space at the Najibs' house, and some of her sons have been forced to move out since getting married and starting families of their own.
TVNL Comment: This is a taboo topic and never discussed in the American corporate media. Israel is always described as a great democracy, and no coverage of the real problems facing Palestinians is permitted. Wonder why.