The Village of Silwan

The village of Silwan is situated on the south-eastern slopes of the old city of Jerusalem, and counts about 55,000 residents.

In 1967, the village was annexed by Israel, and ever since has been under Israeli control and a part of the Jerusalem municipality. The taxpaying residents of Silwan hold East Jerusalem residence IDs, and are obliged and entitled to all state and municipal obligations and rights respectively.

However, since the residents are not considered citizens of Israel, they have no right to vote to parliament. In addition, the residence permit depends on many strict conditions, and can be taken away by the Israeli Ministry of Interior. In that case, the resident must leave the country.