Case 4: Silwan View of the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, Jerusalem. 2017 (©BADIL). Background Silwan is a Palestinian neighborhood located on the outskirts of the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem was occupied and illegally annexed following the 1967 War in violation of international law. The main mechanisms employed to confiscate Palestinian properties in Silwan are manipulation of the Absentee Property Law, fraudulent purchases and the declaration of national parks. Manipulation of Absentee Property The Absentee Property Law has been one of the most vigorous weapons in dispossessing Palestinian residents in Silwan. The effectiveness of this tool is based on the close collusion between the Israeli government and private colonizer organizations. The Israeli government has candidly supported private colonizer organizations such as El’ad170 and Ateret Cohanim. El’ad was established “with the goal of redeeming land, strengthening the Jewish connection to 170 El’ad has facilitated the implantation of 300 colonizers into Silwan since the 1990s. 63