Home purchased by Jews in City of David
Home purchased by Jews in City of DavidArieh King - Facebook

Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) toured the City of David Monday. The City of David, considered the heart of the Jewish capital in Biblical times, is located just south of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The tour followed Sunday night's headlining entry of nine Jewish families into homes in Jerusalem's Shiloach (Silwan) neighborhood, located adjacent to the City of David. The homes were purchased from Arabs. 

Jerusalem Councilman Arieh King told Arutz Sheva on Monday morning that the families took residency in nine housing units in "Beit Ovadia" and "Beit Frumkin," located in the "Yemenite Village" area of Shiloach.

The village was founded by Jewish immigrants from Yemen in the 1880s, who were later expelled by the British in 1938 following violent Arab rioting.

While visiting the new residents of Shiloach, Edelstein affixed a mezuzah to the door of one of the houses, before reciting the blessing on it.  

"Exactly 84 years ago, the White Paper was published, restricting the sale of land to Jews. Yet we prevailed and today, it is only us who put our fate in our country, especially in Jerusalem the capital," Edelstein said.  

Three weeks ago, dozens of Jews settled in six houses in the City of David, on the other side of Shiloach. The buildings were legally purchased by an American company and are owned by Jews, but Arab residents claimed that the houses belonged to three veteran Arab families, sparking protest. 

During the move, several Arabs attempted to enter one of the Jewish homes by force. Rioters then began attacking police. The Arabs threw rocks and fireworks at security forces, who were forced to calm the crowd using riot dispersal means.

The Ateret Cohanim organization, who aims to strengthen the Jewish presence in Jerusalem, particularly in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods, was the force behind this latest housing acquisition.