Americans for Peace Now (APN) joins its Israeli sister organization Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) in strongly condemning the expanded Israeli settlement activity in the Palestinian East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, and warns against the repercussions of this provocative act.

As Peace Now reported, dozens of Jewish settlers overnight took over a large, five-story building in Silwan, and tried to pressure a Palestinian family who resides in it and holds a legal rental contract, to leave. The house is located in a part of Silwan that settlers have not yet tried to penetrate, deep inside this densely-populated Palestinian neighborhood.

APN's President and CEO Debra DeLee said: "This aggressive step takes place on the slopes of the Temple Mount, as violence in Jerusalem and its vicinity reaches alarming levels. For the Israeli government to allow settlers to take hold of a large house in Silwan at this time is to add fuel to the fire. Israeli authorities are aiding and abetting the settlers in their effort to strategically take over a Palestinian neighborhood in order to change the status quo in Jerusalem. By not blocking the settlers' hostile takeover of assets in a Palestinian neighborhood, Israeli authorities are fanning the flames of violence and supporting the extremists who strive to thwart a future Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement."

To read Peace Now's statement on the new settlement in Silwan, click here.

To watch a short video of the settlers entering Silwan last night, click here.

For Terrestrial Jerusalem's analysis of this development, click here.