In the early morning hours of Sunday, 17 February 2019 Israeli police raided Abu Assab family home, assaulted Hatem abu Assab and his son and arrested them, before forcing the family of 9 members to leave their home without taking any of their properties. Then, and before their eyes, settlers occupied the house and raised Israel’s flag on its roof..

The targeted house is located in Al-Qarmi neighborhood, which is witnessing a rapid acceleration in colonial expansion; it belongs originally to the Jerusalemite family (Nasiba) that rented it out to a Jewish family before the establishment of Israel in 1948. In 1952, The (Jordanian) guard of enemies’ properties rented it out to Abu Assab family. After Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967 , The Israeli guard of absentees’ properties collected rent from Abu Assab family.

In 2014 , an Israeli colonial institution filed a lawsuit claiming that they own the house, the case was disputed in the Israeli courts until late October 2018, The court passed a judgment that calls for Abu Assab family to evict their home.

Reportedly, the targeted structures consist of 3 floors, the Israeli settlers took over the first and the third floors, and now they laid their hands on the second floor.

    Forcing Jerusalemite families to evict their houses aims to change cultural and historical identity of the old city, in order to boost Israeli control over Jerusalem and bury the two state solution. 

Al Qarmi neighborhood is heavily targeted by Jewish colonial institutions, Before Abu Assab family, Zaloum and Sharabaty families went through forcible eviction, in addition to two stores that belong to heirs of Ismael Wazwaz. Nonetheless, The occupation authorities prohibit repairing any of the old buildings in the old city, and protect settlers while they assault  Jerusalemites, such as Sub Laban family that went through a brutal attack by settlers.